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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518508">Seven Come Eleven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyTsunadeSenjou/pseuds/Scarlett_VonCannon'>Scarlett_VonCannon (LadyTsunadeSenjou)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossroads, Demons, Devil, F/M, Gen, Jack - Freeform, Seven, Vegas, casino - Freeform, eleven - Freeform, hellhound, metalplay, nadia - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:29:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25518508</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyTsunadeSenjou/pseuds/Scarlett_VonCannon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When a retired 80s rock musician sold his soul to the devil down on the crossroads back in the day, he didn't quite believe it was real. Over the years he's watched his friends picked off one by one as the devil collected. Now they've come for him. Trapped in his Vegas Casino, can he defeat these demons and protect everything he holds dear?</p><p>Note: This story is one of my very early self-published works and is currently attached to my Amazon account. It started life as a Naruto fan fiction, actually, but it shouldn't be posted anywhere now. No need to report it, it's not stolen.</p><p>*Finished*</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Original Female Character/Original Male Character</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Seven Come Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Spring 1988<br/>
“This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Jake rolled his eyes and twirled a drumstick. “The devil? Are you fucking serious?”<br/>
Miles nodded. “They say the blues singer Robert Johnson did it. He was supposedly the worst guitar player ever, and then one night he stood on the crossroad playing and a black guy came by and tuned his guitar.”<br/>
Jake rolled his eyes before he replied. “That doesn’t mean it was the devil. It was probably a dude wandering by, heard how bad he was, then stopped and showed him how to play.”<br/>

“It was the devil!” Dan insisted, his guitar case in his hand as they walked along the dirt road. “I’ve read all about it.”<br/>
Jake glanced at their bass player, Brian. “You in on this too?”<br/>

“Yup. I mean how can I not be.” Brian turned to look at Jake but he didn’t look excited.<br/>

“Fine.” Jake stood and tossed the drumsticks against his shoulder. “Let’s go meet the devil.”<br/>
The wind swept across the road as they approached the worn rusted signs that marked where highway 49 crossed Highway 60. It was dark, except the moon which was bright and full tonight. Jake couldn’t shake the feeling they looked as if they were recreating a Cinderella video. They could have been any band from the sunset strip in the day, only that Jake’s oddly light blond hair being natural and not dyed set him apart.<br/>
They’d left the car on the side of the road as they walked into the crossroads. It was the loneliest place Jake had ever seen. On either side of the road lay what he assumed were cotton or corn fields. But he couldn’t tell in the dark.<br/>

Miles walked ahead, the lead singer and leader of the band. “I don’t know if we are supposed to say anything to summon the devil.”<br/>
They waited for several minutes before Jake had had enough with the silence and lack of anything even remotely resembling the devil. Not that he knew what exactly the devil looked like. “This is hogwash. I’m going back to the car. Why would the devil want anything to do with us? What could we have that he’d want?”<br/>

“Look!” Brian pointed down the dark north road.<br/>

A man was moving towards them with deliberate and business like steps. He wore a black coat that trailed around his ankles and a hat that covered his face. The whole look was very much from the twenties or thirties. The closer he came, the stronger the smell of sulfur grew. A large, lanky, black and white dog trailed his steps. The man walked up to the four boys, observing them through narrowed eyes. He washeavyset, skin as dark as the night sky, and his eyes glinted red when he tipped his hat back to see them.<br/>

“Evening, boys,” said the dark man in a deep gravelly voice that resonated through them as an earthquake. “How may I be of assistance?”<br/>

“We came to seek the devil to attain fame.” Miles said, his eyes never leaving the mans. They were all rooted to where they stood.<br/>

“Are you really the devil?” Jake asked in the pause after Miles spoke. He was the only one that wasn’t frozen in terror.<br/>
The dog circled them, watching as its master produced a clipboard from his coat. Then the man laughed, “Yes, boy, I am. I mean, I’m the devil for these parts, I’m not Lucifer. But I can collect your souls. The terms of the deal are, you will be famous. But I can and will collect when I feel like it, preferably at your peak fame. Well, a demon will come for you, it won’t be me. But you will know. Do you agree?”<br/>

Three of them nodded. Jake was still trying to figure out how they had gotten the dogs eyes to glow red. Brian jabbed the drummer with his elbow and Jake nodded just so they could go. This lean hound loping about made him nervous. The whole situation did.<br/>

“Good. Then go back to your show and good luck.” The man in black turned to go. “But before you go-”<br/>
They watched as he pulled a small medical bag from his inside coat pocket and removed rubber gloves and small lancets.<br/>

“We have to seal this in blood?” Miles asked quickly. “I thought you would bite us or something to get it.”<br/>

“Oh dear no, that is unsanitary and uncivilized.” He replied as he pricked each of their fingers and pressed the pad of it to the bottom of the contract. When that was done he turned without another word to them, placing the contracts into his inside pockets as well.<br/>

“Come Ivan, lets go.” The man called to the big dog who chased after him with long graceful strides.<br/>

Las Vegas<br/>
Summer, 2008<br/>

Jake hummed as he showered, lathering himself with the luxurious sponge. Outside the frosted shower door, the room was steamy; the mirror fogged over. The scent of masculinity and musk drifted out of the bathroom on the wisps of steam that escaped under the door.<br/>
When he finished, he stepped out onto the fluffy soft rug by the tub. His wet platinum hair hung down his back, well below his shoulders, in a white cascade that was nothing short of majestic. Ignoring the steam and fog, Jake wrapped himself in a plush robe and stepped out into the bedroom of his penthouse suite on the seventh floor of the casino he owned. His bed was empty, which it had most definitely not been when he went for the shower. Pursing his lips, he looked out into the front room, which was also empty. He peered past the bar into the kitchen on the other side of the room and sighed. The rich smell of coffee brewing caught his attention.<br/>

“At least she made coffee this time,” he muttered as he went into the small kitchen to procure a cup. Jake put in two sugar cubes and some creamer before tasting the life-giving liquid.<br/>

Sipping the hot cup of coffee, Jake went back into the bedroom where the window looked out over the street below. In the cold, gray dawn, taxis lined the street outside, picking up guests from the casino that had gambled the night away and were too inebriated to drive. He hoped he would see her among them, but he didn’t. He never did. He thought of her as some nocturnal animal, not unlike a raccoon, that vanished in the daytime and reappeared at night as if they had always been there.<br/>

Nadia and Jake had met in the casino downstairs. She was a terrible gambler, and Jake had bailed her out of a tight spot at the blackjack table one night. He hadn’t asked for favors in return; he had merely been trying to help a lady out. But somehow they had clicked, and after a few drinks, she made it to Jake’s penthouse a few hours before sunrise. She came almost nightly then after dinner and a few drinks they ended up here in his bed. By morning she would be gone. Sometimes she made him coffee, like this morning. Sometimes she left him asleep or showering. It suited Jake though, he wasn’t looking to get into serious relationships with his problems.<br/>

Jake turned away from the window and his curiosity of Nadia’s whereabouts. His phone jangled from the night stand, drawing his attention to what he was sure was business. Jake answered, sipping his coffee as he checked out his reflection in the mirror. He needed to hit the gym, this week, he thought. “Hello?”<br/>

“Jake? You need to come down to the office as soon as possible. Someone killed Marshall last night.” The voice on the other end, which Jake identified as Alan the security guard, said in a tight and serious tone.<br/>

“What do you mean? Why are we just now discussing it this morning?” Jake’s good mood slipped away quickly.<br/>

“I’ve only just now found his body between the dumpster and the parking lot.”<br/>

Jake nearly choked on his coffee, he sputtered on the warm liquid as he struggled to form words. “Have you called the police?”<br/>
“Of course not,” Alan replied casually. “I wanted to call you first. It’s your casino.”<br/>

Jake rolled his eyes. If this had been anyone else, he would have thought they were joking. Alan had seen some things in his time in Vegas, in jail, and even briefly in the military. He didn’t react to things as normal people would. “Close the back parking lot and don’t let anyone out the back door. I’ll be right down.”<br/>
In fifteen minutes, Jake stepped off the elevator into the casino hotel lobby. Dressed in faded jeans and a tee-shirt, hair neatly tied back, he made his way towards the back door, nodding good morning to his staff. They were the only people who would recognize him as the owner of the casino. While they knew him to wear designer brands, he was not nearly as well-dressed as other casino owners were. Suits and ties just weren’t his thing.<br/>

In the parking lot, Jake had to let his eyes adjust to the bright morning sun. Alan was waiting for him by the building, calmly smoking a cigarette. Alan tossed the butt on the ground and crushed it under his shoe when he saw Jake. He nodded towards the dumpster. “Over there.”<br/>

Sure enough, Marshall’s shoes were visible from behind the large blue dumpster. Jake walked closer, peering at Marshall with a grimace. He looked as if he had passed out drunk. But flies were already starting to buzz around the body, leaving no doubt he was dead. Jake could see no obvious reason for the death yet. With a deep frown he called the police himself from his cell phone.<br/>

Within the hour, the body was being carried away in a coroner van; they roped the area off, and detectives were rifling through the dumpster and the parking lot. They were the last business in town, still using CCTV and VCR for security; there were a few chuckles when Alan provided copies of the security tapes to the confused officers. The officers seemed content it was a robbery gone wrong.<br/>

When they left, Jake turned to go back inside. He was sorry for Marshall’s loss, but there would need to be damage control to keep customers from being frightened, or unsafe.<br/>

“Jake?” Alan followed him. “What do you plan to do now?”<br/>

“I will pay for his funeral and see if his family needs help, if he had any family. I never knew him that well. But otherwise I need more security around the perimeter and a replacement.” Jake stepped onto the elevator to head up to the next floor where his office was. Alan followed.<br/>

“I have something you should see.” Alan pulled a tape from the pocket of his blue silk jacket that was emblazoned with the Rock Star logo across the back and in miniature on the front.<br/>

“This is no time to be watching porn, Alan.” Jake said with a weak smile. He opened his office with a key from a ring of many keys in his pocket.<br/>

“This isn’t porn.” Alan chuckled and followed Jake in, flipping on the light as they entered.<br/>

Jake took off his coat and hung it on the rack by the door before moving to his desk and sitting. He watched Alan put the tape into the ancient VCR and made a note he needed to upgrade this casino’s security.<br/>

On the black and white tape, Jake watched Marshall walk across the back parking lot with trash in hand. He walked just out of the camera’s path. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until a bright light swept across the parking lot, under where the camera was mounted. But that could have easily been a car headlight, Jake thought. There was no sound. A large black dog trotted by just as a wave of static cut the camera off.<br/>
“Jake sat back in his chair and sipped his now cold cup of coffee. He made a face of disgust and set the cup aside. “I will not be surprised if his autopsy says there’s not a mark on him.”<br/>

“The police have roped off the whole back to investigate.” Alan said as he looked out the big window behind Jake’s desk.<br/>

“Fat lot of good that’ll do ’em,” Jake sighed when he stood. “They won’t catch this person. I am going out for coffee and donuts. Want anything?”<br/>

“Our roulette operator gets killed and you are going out for coffee and donuts?” Alan turned to Jake, surprised.<br/>

“What would you have me do? The man is dead. I am still very much alive and I’m hungry. Do you want donuts or not?” Jake repeated.<br/>
“Fine, yes. But what about Marshall?” Alan followed his boss. They stepped into the elevator and turned to watch the doors close. Alan glanced at Jake as the elevator went down. “Did you not like Marshall?”<br/>

“I didn’t know him well. He was stealing a grand a week from me, I knew that much. I figured he needed it pretty bad to take such a brazen risk. Addiction, child 
support, God only knows. But I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you think.” Jake raised a brow at Alan.<br/>

“You said they would never catch the killer. Do you know who did it?” Alan followed Jake outside the casino into the street. The morning sun was bright overhead, only a few wispy clouds marred an otherwise perfect sky. “Was it a mafia hit, you think?”<br/>

Jake didn’t look at Alan, he walked straight through the growing crowds of tourists coming in for the days activities. When they reached the coffee shop on the corner, Jake still hadn’t spoken. Once his order for coffee and a doughnut were filled, he stood by the bar waiting on Alan to receive his food as well.<br/>
“I was in a rock band back in the late eighties.” Jake confessed as he sipped the delicious coffee. It was well worth the five bucks.<br/>
“Like a hair band?” Alan asked, eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t know why he was surprised at all.<br/>

Jake grumbled in annoyance. “We had hair, yes. But not a hair band. I hate that term. We were just plain heavy metal. But it was a weird time, glam rock was dying, grunge was rising, and then there were the few of us who were sticking to our roots. We were competing with some big names. Our singer was into the occult and all that jazz. He talked us into going to Mississippi and selling our soul at the crossroad.”<br/>

“The crossroads?” Alan followed Jake to a small table by the window. Jake bumped his head on the low hanging light that looked more suited to an Italian cafe than a coffee shop.<br/>

Jake steadied the swinging light and sighed. “In Clarksdale, Mississippi, there’s a junction to highways 49 and 61. If you stand out there at midnight, the devil comes and makes a deal with you. Fame for your soul.”<br/>

Alan raised a brow, “You did that?”<br/>

“I was young. Stupid.” Jake bit into his doughnut and took his time eating it. “But yeah, we did.”<br/>

Alan leaned closer, on edge and eager for more. “Is that stuff real? Was it really the devil?”<br/>

“You know at the time I didn’t believe it. But a year later we hit it big on a song that I had never liked and thought would flop, and then we lost our singer in a freak accident. Electrocuted by his microphone on stage.” Jake looked around, crumpling the paper wrapper his doughnut had been handed to him in. “I had been reading up on the ones who had done this before us and it seemed they were all dying as they hit their peak of fame. Our guitarist and my friend died in a freak accident recently. He was hit by a bus. You remember Dan, right? That’s why I live there at the casino. I could afford to live anywhere but I choose not to flaunt any of my money. But I guess the time has come for him to collect.”<br/>

“Who?”<br/>

“Weren’t you listening? The goddamn devil.” Jake drank the rest of his coffee.<br/>

“What does this have to do with the murder of our roulette dealer?” Alan rubbed his beard, puzzled.<br/>

“It was a warning they are here.” Jake stood up. “We should get back.”<br/>

Alan tossed his trash and followed Jake back to the casino. “Here I was thinking you were involved in some mafia bullshit.”<br/>

“Maybe I am.” Jake quickened his pace as the wind picked up, bringing the smell of rain to the desert. “Get on the phone, Alan, and find out Marshall’s burial arrangement, his family, all that. I’ll cut the checks.”<br/>

Back in the office, finally alone with his thoughts, Jake stared out the window at the parking lot. He could see his own car from here and it never failed to make him smile when he saw his bright orange mustang waiting for him, inviting him to let the top back and feel the wind. Not today though. He didn’t feel much like leaving and going anywhere.<br/>

Turning, his eyes fell on the old band poster he kept in here as a memento. He hadn’t picked up a guitar or drumsticks in years. They packed all of that in the casino's basement in a dark corner. He couldn’t help a chuckle at how young and naïve they had been back then, stupid teenage runaways in California when the Sunset Strip was the place to be and make a name.<br/>

Jake decided maybe a visit to the pool was in order. He literally had no idea what else to do. He needed to relax and pull his mind together. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he vowed that he was leaving this in his room.<br/>

“Hello?”<br/>

“Jake?” A voice on the other end said, a voice he vaguely recognized but could not place. The voice was shaky with panic.<br/>
“Yes, who is this?” Jake’s face clouded with confusion, his brain racing to recognize the voice, but it was little more than a strained whisper backed by heavy breathing.<br/>

“Brian. Don’t you remember me?” The reply came softly.<br/>

Jake’s eyes widened, his eyes shooting back to the poster and Brian’s slim face, his goofy grin. No one had heard from him since Miles died. “Yes, I remember you but how did you get my number? What’s wrong?”<br/>

“Your secretary gave it to me. I told her it was an emergency.” Brian turned to look at himself in the broken motel mirror. His face, once handsome and sharp, was now scruffy and swollen. His eyes were hollow with fatigue, both mental and physical. He thought briefly that he looked like one of those serial killers you see on the news, much older than his barely forty years of life. “I—wanted to warn you.”<br/>

“Warn me?” Jake asked, but he already knew what it was. “Warn me about what?”<br/>

“You remember that night in Mississippi, don’t you?” Brian wheezed.<br/>

“Yes. Where are you going with this, Brian?” Jake stepped out of his office and entered his suite. He could still smell the faint essence of Nadia’s perfume from last night, and he smiled.<br/>

“They’re coming.” Brian turned towards the bathroom door. The bathroom was just inside the motel room door and he could hear the footsteps and sniffing in the main hallway outside. He heard a faint scratching on the door. He hissed into the small cell phone. “The hell hounds. They’re coming!”<br/>
A wave of coldness passed over Jake when he heard those words. “Are you certain you aren’t just tripping acid again? I hear that stuff has some horrible flashbacks.”<br/>

“No, Jake. This thing has pursued me from California to Missouri. I am in a motel now near Springfield, and it still found me. I’m out of time, Jake. I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch. I heard about Dan, I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to know that before--” Brian whispered frantically, fumbling the handgun from his coat pocket and slipping a bullet into the chamber. The scratching became more frantic at the door. Quickly, Brian began reciting the Lord’s prayer into the phone.<br/>
“The hell is going on? Brian? Brian?” Jake tried to get his former band-mate's attention, but there was a sudden whoosh of air as the door gave way to the giant black hound. Jake heard the strangled snarl and a sudden pop of what sounded like firecrackers just as the line died.<br/>

Jake realized with a chill that it had not been fireworks at all. It had been a firearm. Brian had killed himself reciting the Lord’s prayer, hoping that would save him. Jake tossed the phone down and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was no way to know if it had worked for Brian, and no way to know when they would come for him.<br/>

“Dammit.” Jake stared across the boulevard at the other casino’s across the way. As he watched the bustling crowds below vanishing into the doors of the other establishments, a chill came over him. Since that thing had gone after Marshall, would it go after anyone else here? Possibly Alan or Nadia? Jake turned from the window and went into his closet to find his swim trunks. Perhaps it wasn’t the time for a swim, he thought, but he was determined to not to panic. He had to act like nothing happened at all.<br/>

In the pool, on a red floating chair, Jake relaxed. Through dark aviator sunglasses, he watched the clouds float across the bright blue sky on a breeze that could not be felt on the ground. He’d give anything to go back to the way things had been, when he thought all the tales of demons, angels, and God were fairy tales. But he had seen too much to not believe. People went along with their lives like there wasn’t a life and death battle for the souls of humans all around them. Jake envied that. He closed his eyes, foot tapping to the beat of unheard music in his head. He had slipped into a half-sleep state, dreaming of the days of the band, onstage, fans screaming, music so loud it surrounded him and became his very being.<br/>

“You look real busy,” a female voice cut through Jake’s thoughts. Nadia was standing poolside, her hair pulled up in a bun that shimmered gold in the bright sunlight.<br/>

“Aha, so you do exist in the daytime. All this time I thought you were a vampire.” Jake lifted his glasses and admired her lush figure in the black yoga pants she wore. “What brings you to my office in the middle of the day?”<br/>

Nadia laughed at his attempt at humor. “I heard about what happened this morning. I came to see if you were okay. What happened?”<br/>

Jake nodded. “Let’s discuss this inside, shall we?”<br/>

With temperatures teasing the triple digits, Nadia agreed with him. “Is the bar open?”<br/>

“For you? Always. But yes, it should be open for lunch by now.” Jake slid off the chair into the water and then exited the pool. He dried off as they went back inside.<br/>

In the back of the bar and grill section of the casino, Jake and Nadia slid into a round booth that was reserved for Jake. The darkness of the bar was a direct and welcome contrast to the bright summer day outside.<br/>

“So what went down?” Nadia asked, blinking several times to adjust her eyes to the dim light. Sweat had forced her eyeliner into the corner of her eye and she wiped at the stinging sensation.<br/>

“My roulette operator was found dead behind the dumpster in the back,” Jake replied. He wasn’t lying, that was what had happened, and he saw no need to include the details about demons.<br/>

“Do they know who did it?” Nadia took the frosty red margarita from the waiter and stabbed a straw into it.<br/>

“Of course not. This is Vegas, honey, this stuff happens all the time.” Jake shrugged and pushed the umbrella in his own margarita aside so he could insert the straw. “I doubt they ever will, sadly. I am handling his funeral expenses.”<br/>

“How well did you know Marshall?” Nadia asked, looking up from her drink quickly.<br/>

Jake raised an eyebrow. “He sometimes stayed in a room here instead of going home. I don’t know if he had a family or not, but I have him on video taking out about a grand a night. I don’t know what he was into, but-”<br/>

“Marshall was in debt to some mafia loan sharks.” Nadia looked back at her drink. Her late husband had left her in some debt with the same people, but she didn’t feel the need to elaborate on that yet.<br/>

“Okay, his name is probably all over the news and paper by now, but how do you know who he is in debt to?” Jake’s eyebrow rose in clear suspicion.<br/>
“Because I have some connections. These bastards are the ones who killed my husband, I think.” She admitted, not making eye contact.<br/>
“Husband? You are a widow?” Jake replied, tilting his head. They had never gotten this deep into conversation. She seemed so young to be a widow, but he had 
never asked her age.<br/>

“Marshall and my late husband were friends, and they both were in debt. My husband was involved in a lot of illegal activities I am sure led to his death.” She explained.<br/>

“That would explain why he was stealing from me. I noticed, but I said nothing. I had a feeling he needed the money worse than I did. To be honest, I thought it might be an addiction but I see now.” Jake leaned back in the booth, his damp shirt stuck to the leather upholstery.<br/>

“I believe it was a mob hit.” Nadia shrugged.<br/>

“I don’t know about all that,” Jake said with a shrug.<br/>

“I’m worried about your safety, Jake.” Nadia whispered, even though the bar was empty. “What if they come for you?”<br/>

He chuckled. “Honey, the mafia ‘whacking’ me is the least of my worries.”<br/>
Nadia chuckled at his reply. “Oh? You aren’t worried about them putting the moves on your casino here? You know this is where my husband met the sharks he had that loan with.” Nadia nodded towards the bar across the dim room, where a clean-cut man in a white button down was mixing a drink in a silver shaker for two middle-aged women. “At your bar.”<br/>

“I don’t doubt that he did. I have some shady regulars,” Jake glanced at the bartender, pushing his long hair off his shoulder and behind him, “But, I'm not worried, 
I have a few connections of my own, you see.”<br/>

Nadia’s eyes widened, turning cold as she stared Jake down, she could feel her heart speed up slightly. “Was it you?”<br/>

“Hmm?”<br/>

“Was it you that killed him?” Nadia asked, her voice a hiss.<br/>


“I don’t even know who the fuck he is- was- how would I know if I killed him?” Jake lifted the glass to his lips. “Honestly, though, I’ve killed no one.”<br/>

“Do you know who did it?” She insisted, her manicured nails pressing into the table as her hand tightened involuntarily.<br/>

“Again, I don’t know who he- your husband-was.” Jake sighed. “Maybe we should take this up to my office. The lunch rush is coming in and this isn’t the sort of thing I want overheard in my bar.”<br/>

“His name was Dan.”<br/>

Jake’s expression changed just enough to tell Nadia that he knew something he wasn’t telling. “Let’s talk about this in my office.”<br/>
The urgency in his voice silenced her sharp tongue. Nadia followed him to the elevator, her heart racing with anticipation. Was it just possible that Jake could help 
her solve the mystery of Dan’s death? It was almost too good to believe.<br/>

Nadia held her tongue until they were inside the office, and Jake had closed the door. The words burst from her. “What do you know?”<br/>

Jake sat down, gathering his thoughts before he spoke to her. Unwelcome guilt flooded his mind. His affair with Nadia seemed to violate some unspoken code. “I knew him. God, I didn’t know he was your husband. I knew he had a wife, but he never said your name. I figured there were reasons for that too.”<br/>

“How well did you know him?” Nadia had taken a seat across from him, reclining in the brown leather chair with her slim legs crossed.<br/>

Jake pointed at the poster on the wall behind her. Nadia looked at it with wide eyes, her breath hitching slightly. Her eyes met those of her dead husband and an unnamed emotion overtook her. Her eyes raked over the drummer behind Dan in the picture. His appearance suddenly dawned on her. She glanced from Jake to the poster.<br/>

He was older now, but he had changed little. His features had grown stronger with age, his body more muscular. His hair was no longer teased, he was no longer wearing ripped jeans or chains, but she recognized him now. Her heart skipped a beat. “Me-MetalPlay? You were the drummer! I used to see them around Los Angeles! Dan said he played with them but never wanted o talk about it so I figured it had ended badly as a lot of those bands did. I had no idea you were the drummer!”<br/>

“Yes,” Jake chuckled. “Our lead singer, Miles, talked us into trying to sell our souls to the devil at the crossroad. I thought it was all a bunch of nonsense. Afterward, the song ‘Mistress’ hit big and Miles got killed onstage one night. His mic shorted out and electrocuted him. That should never have happened. I realized it wasn’t an accident. The devil’s contract said that he would collect when we peaked in fame, so I quit after Miles died. Walked away, bought this place with my earnings and the money from the lawsuit we won against the microphone maker.”<br/>

She was unsure what to make of his answer. Was he speaking metaphorically? Slowly she formed words through her confusion. “Devil? So — mafia devil?”<br/>
He chuckled. “No. I meant the actual devil. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Pan, Baphomet- whatever his real name is, I am not an expert on the subject. ”<br/>
She blinked a few times, “The real devil? Jake—what are you talking about?”<br/>

“Do you believe in heaven and hell?”<br/>

“Why— well, yes, I do,” Nadia admitted. She wasn’t sure she believed all this, however.<br/>

“I didn’t. At least not until the night the band took me to the crossroads.” He pulled a bottle of cheap malt liquor from his desk. It was the kind one buys at a shady gas station when nothing matters anymore but getting shit-faced.<br/>

Nadia slammed her fist into the table, rocking it and startling Jake. Her face was tight; she seemed to be breathing harder. “Who killed Dan, damn it?”</p><p>It took him a moment to regain his composure, but when Jake leaned back, his answer wasn’t what Nadia expected. “I’m not sure anyone did. It could have really been a freak accident.”<br/>

“People don’t just go around getting hit by buses!” She yelled, slamming herself back into the chair. Tendrils of blond escaped her bun and framed her soft but angry face.<br/>

“I was with him the night he died. He came in here talking about something he had that would change the game or some nonsense. But I don’t know what it was. He wasn’t making sense.” Jake said, pressing his fingertips together. It was a partial lie. He knew that Dan had been attempting to reverse the deal for his soul, but he hadn’t explained how he was going to do it. “I begged him not to do it. Told him I would help him but he wouldn’t listen. He took off out of here and that was the last I heard from him.”<br/>

Nadia studied her lap, carefully organizing her face and thoughts to hide the emotion that threatened to wash over her. “Dan was always such a hard head. He told me he was heavily in debt and he was doing all these ‘jobs’ to pay them off.”<br/>

“Why have you brought this up? We’ve never talked this much before.”<br/>

“Because they’re after me, Jake.” She admitted, rubbing the corners of her eyes with a little sigh. “I’m getting phone calls and texts from blocked numbers, I think I’m being followed. Maybe I’m just crazy, ya know?”<br/>

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re in danger. I am too. To be honest, this whole murder thing is someone trying to collect a debt I owe. I am sorry he got caught up in it.”<br/>

“Oh my God, have you got security for yourself? Jake-”<br/>

“I’m more worried about you. I can handle this mess but you shouldn’t have too.” Jake turned to look out the window, making a note to call window cleaners this afternoon. Red dust seemed to stain the glass and obstruct his view with it’s dusty haze. “Move in here, Nadia.”<br/>

She gasped in surprise, her red lips slightly ajar. “With you?”<br/>

“Well I mean, if you want, but this is a casino with five penthouse suites and countless rooms. Pick one.” He motioned towards the door.<br/>
“I wouldn’t want to impose-”<br/>

“You won’t, believe me. I have hired more security and Alan was muttering something about a new system. You’d be safer here.”<br/>

Nadia nodded. “You’re right and the lease on the townhouse is coming up for renewal. I’d rather not stay there. It’s too hard, especially at night.”<br/>

He caught the way her eyes averted, and he understood then why she came here each night. He stood from his chair and made his way over to her, taking her hands. “I understand, Nadia. I will be here whenever you need me. I feel like I owe Dan that much at least.”<br/>

“I’ll grab what I need and move tonight if that’s okay? I can have movers store the rest until I need it again.” She came to her feet, their eyes still locked. She wasn’t surprised, nor did she object when he leaned forward to kiss her lips.<br/>

Jake’s left hand moved to secure her waist against him while the right slid up her back to support her neck. His lips tasted like the sweet margarita he had been drinking before. The kiss lingered a little longer than it should have since he had no intentions of making love to her at the moment. But neither could resist the comfort of the other.<br/>

“Alan and I will accompany you to the townhouse to pack. I would rather keep an eye on you if I could,” Jake said when the kiss broke. He had left her so breathless all she could do was nod in agreement.<br/>

Nadia stood on her balcony and watched the sun rise just over the mountains, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. Nadia had slept little, having spent the night unpacking the things she had brought. Jake had told her the penthouse was furnished, so her furniture went to storage. Empty boxes were scattered through the large open living room, but she was done unpacking. The only thing left unpacked was a box of Dan’s things that was shoved into her closet, out of sight and out of mind. She would never toss it, but wondered if she’d ever open it again.<br/>

The ringing of the phone cut into her thoughts. “This can’t be good news this early in the morning.” She thought as she picked it up.<br/>
“Hello?”<br/>

“You’re awake. Good.” Jake’s voice was too happy for so early in the morning. Nadia had never been around to know he was a morning person, and now she was sort of glad she hadn’t ever stuck around to see. She was certainly not a morning person.<br/>

“What can I do for you?” Nadia asked, glancing at the clock. She wondered if he would like a quick morning romp. She found herself oddly okay with that.<br/>
“Get dressed and meet me on the roof. The elevator will bring you up. We will have a sunrise breakfast with drinks.” Jake was standing, a thick towel wrapped around his waist as he watched the boulevard below slowly brighten with pink light. He could not see the sunrise from his room.<br/>

Nadia’s lips curled into a smile without her consent. “I’ll meet you in about twenty minutes.”<br/>

When Nadia arrived at the top of the casino, she found Jake sitting leisurely in a padded white wicker chair. The table was also white wicker, with a glass top. The white umbrella that shaded the table fluttered in the arid desert breeze. There were other tables identical to this one scattered around this side of the roof, and a tiny tiki style bar where a young man was busy squeezing oranges for a mixed drink.<br/>

Jake stood up upon seeing her, pulling out the chair beside him. “Good morning, come sit. Breakfast will be ready soon.”<br/>

Once she was seated, Jake sat down again and picked up his small coffee cup. His eyes went over her quickly. She had hurriedly dressed in jeans and a shirt. He wasn’t used to seeing her so casual, it lent a lightness to her face and demeanor.<br/>

“This is nice,” Nadia said, her eyes roaming the rooftop and the tiki bar. “Do you have breakfast up here a lot?”<br/>

The young man from the bar brought over a small cup of coffee and a mixed drink that was bright yellow and orange layered with fresh fruit on the sides. Nadia gave him a nod and sipped the drink first. It was hands down the best Tequila Sunrise she had ever had.<br/>

Jake nodded. “You would know if you bothered to stay around in the morning, instead of vanishing into the night like some vampire. Are you sure you’re not a vampire?”<br/>

Nadia laughed at his serious expression. “I assure you I am not.”<br/>

“That’s good. I think succubus suits you better.” Jake finished his coffee and took the drink he was offered.<br/>

Nadia once again laughed at his comment, slightly embarrassed by the innuendo. By now she should be used to it she knew. Jake was blunt, often crude. “Is that the only reason you had me move in here?”<br/>

But before Jake spoke, Alan stepped out onto the roof with them. “Someone is here for you-”<br/>

Before Alan could finish, a woman barged through the door. She was shorter than Nadia. It looked like her hair had been in the bun she wore for days. Though her face was a little fuller than it had been years before, Jake knew exactly who she was. Her eyes locked onto his, red and swollen from crying, her hands shook.<br/>

“Allie?” He responded to the hysterical looking woman. “Allie, how did you find me here?”<br/>

“It got Brian, Jake. The hell hounds--” she broke down sobbing, unmindful of the other people in the room and what they might think.<br/>

Jake wrapped her in his big arms, allowing her to sob for a moment. “He called me last night. He said something about them but I didn’t know he was dead.”<br/>
That part was a blatant lie. This was only confirmation of what he already knew. But there was no way he could tell her he had heard Brian’s last words and the gunshot that had ended it. He just held her against him as she sobbed. Nadia watched, trading glances with Jake.<br/>

“Am I in danger now?” Allie pulled away enough to look up at Jake, her late husbands friend since middle school.<br/>

“I wouldn’t think so. You weren’t in on the deal.”<br/>

“Why did he do it? Why did he make such a ridiculous deal? I just thought it was--” Allie’s words were cut off by uncontrollable sobs that escaped her throat.<br/>

“Bullshit?” Jake supplied. “I did too. I mean who would have thought?”<br/>

“Whose idea was it?” Alli wiped her eyes. She couldn’t believe Brian would have been involved in such a thing. He had always been a logical guy.<br/>

“Miles. I assumed he’d been dropping too much acid.” Jake shrugged.<br/>
Alan rubbed his face, this was all too weird for him. People standing around talking about meeting the devil and selling souls like it was the most normal thing in the world. But people were dying, not just dying but being mauled to death by unseen forces, and there seemed to be no explanation. It baffled him.<br/>

“You said the hell hound got him?” Jake continued, walking from Allie to and leaning on the edge of the roof to look down over the strip.<br/>

She nodded, “Tore him to shreds. The police could only identify him by his wallet and ID in the room. He disappeared two days before after a dog bit him outside our house. Just a stray who ran at him while he was getting the mail. I came out and scared it away but it frightened him. He took off that night, taking nothing but his wallet and the car. The police found him when the hotel called about a disturbance in one of their rooms. There wasn’t much left, and they ruled a dog he had brought in with him mauled him. We both know what it was, Jake. You know and I do too.”<br/>

“Yeah, it was inevitable I suppose. I am terribly sorry for your loss Allie. Can I help with anything?” Jake asked quickly.<br/>

“I guess not. He left us well off and I have my career. I think he’d like you to come to the service.” Allie dried her tears on a tissue from her pocket.<br/>

“You send the information and I will be there.” Jake offered her a sad smile.<br/>

Allie dried her tears and then met his gaze, her eyes suddenly brighter. “You. Why hasn’t it come for you?”<br/>

He didn’t like her tone. It sounded as if she were accusing him of something. “It has, Allie. I have avoided it until now but I don’t imagine I can much longer.”<br/>

That answer seemed to satisfy her, and she turned to walk out. Nadia had been silent the whole time, but when the door closed behind Allie, she spoke.<br/>

“This is getting too real. What are we going to do? Mafia loan sharks can be dealt with easily but this is the devil himself.”<br/>

“I have a feeling they’re the same,” Jake replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.<br/>

“Never thought I would be up against the devil. This isn’t in my pay grade,” Alan laughed nervously.<br/>

“You’re right. You need a raise.” Jake smiled sadly. He was really relying on Alan a lot these days.<br/>

“What am I supposed to do if demons attack us?” Alan insisted with a deep roll of his dark eyes. “Do I call a priest or the police?”<br/>

“I doubt either would do much good,” Jake shook his head. He met Nadia’s gaze. “Do you have business to attend today?”<br/>

“I should go to the bank,” she replied. “They’ve given me notice that Dan’s account is ready for me to transfer to my account. They took a good long while to decide if I could have it.”<br/>

“Yes, they did. Sometimes there are delays if there are suspicions about where the money came from, and given his reputation, I guess I am hardly surprised. I’ll come with you.”<br/>

Dan had been dead close to a year. Nadia missed him but she did not miss the constant danger and chaos that was involved. He had been a gambler, but not a very good one, and this had strained their marriage many times. In the months before his death, Nadia believed the marriage was on its last legs, though she had held out hoping for a solution.<br/>

Shaking herself from the intrusive and painful thoughts, she turned to the door. “I will get my purse and we will go if you insist on coming with me.”<br/>

“I insist,” Jake said as the door closed behind her.<br/>

The bank was in the neighboring town of Boulder City. It was a small bank, not even a chain. A friendly young manager who seemed to recognize Nadia met them. She directed them into her cubicle.<br/>

“I am sorry, Mrs. Sena. Dan was a great man and we will miss him. Such a tragic accident.” The manager smiled as she picked out forms and a folder from her desk 
drawer. Using a blue pen, she pointed to the lines where she needed a signature. “If you will sign here and here.”<br/>

Nadia did so but in a daze. It seemed so unreal. She looked up at the manager, reading her name tag. Her name was Debbie. “Is that all?”<br/>

The manager of the bank handed her a folder of statements and other information and nodded. “Yes. We will start transfer and you will have the money in your account by Friday.”<br/>

Nadia nodded blankly. “Thank you.”<br/>

Outside, the day had become hot already. The sun was baking everything under it with a vengeance, by afternoon it would be absolute hell. Jake opened the car door for Nadia and she chuckled at him as she got into the front seat, stuffing the folders into her oversize purse.<br/>

When Jake got in, she pulled the seat belt around her before speaking, “So what’s the deal with this car? I would think a successful casino owner could afford something a lot nicer than a— what is this? A 90s Mustang?”<br/>

“I have never flashed my wealth around. This is the first car I’ve ever owned,” he chuckled and reached up to unclip the convertible top before pressing the button that pulled it back. “She’s on her second engine and paint job and third transmission. Oh, the windows doesn’t go down just so you know.”<br/>
“So why on earth do you keep it?” Nadia couldn’t help but laugh at the proud way he spoke of the car like an old friend.<br/>

“Cause I like it and it’s been loyal. I believe in fixing and not trashing things.” He pulled back out into the street and they moved through town towards the mountains. “Ever see the Hoover Dam?”<br/>

“No— I haven’t.” Nadia glanced at him, confused why he had asked.<br/>

“Because we aren’t far from it. Might as well see it while we are here.” He sped up, the older engine purring, vibrating the floor under Nadia’s feet. Jake smiled, “Don’t hear engines like that so much anymore.”<br/>

“Dare I ask what color this was before it was this blinding orange?” Nadia nodded at the hood. She could only describe it as tangerine.<br/>
“Dark green.” Jake replied. “You know that dark ugly green everything was in the 90s?”<br/>

“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose.<br/>

“I know. I didn’t like it either.” Jake was good at small talk and that kept them busy as they drove up to the dam and across it.<br/>

Nadia couldn’t help but admire the view. Dan didn’t do spontaneous things. He was very methodical and level headed. It had been what attracted her to him in the first place. Nadia enjoyed being in control of a situation and have all the details up front. With Jake around, she had learned she could not always predict what he might say or do. It excited her in a way she had never felt before.<br/>

Jake spoke to a guard in a small guard shack before driving across the bridge. The scene was breathtaking from there; the sheer vastness of it took Nadia’s breath. She peered out the window in awe at the concrete and water hundred of feet below.<br/>

“I’ve heard there are bodies trapped in the concrete,” Nadia said, not looking at Jake.<br/>

“They say that but it’s still up for debate. I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few at least.” He replied without taking his eyes off the road.<br/>
Talk fell silent between them but was not awkward. They found being in each other’s company, even when not chatting or doing more adult things, was comfortable. At noon, they stopped at a local place for lunch. They chose a booth at the window and while they waited for food, Nadia leafed through Dan’s papers.<br/>
Jake read a newspaper that had been left behind in the booth. When he peered over the top, Nadia’s face seemed to be creased in anger.<br/>
“What is it?” Jake asked curiously, not sure if he should have asked at all.<br/>

“Dan has been keeping a storage building in Arizona. The payments auto draft. I knew nothing about this. I wonder what he has in it?”<br/>

Jake had half an idea, but he didn’t say it. “You mean he never mentioned it to you? Big thing to keep from your wife, I would think.”<br/>
“There are several charges on here to a restaurant I have never even heard of.” She slammed the folder closed and shoved it back into her purse. Her mind raced with the evidence. It was obvious Dan had been cheating on her in the past year of their marriage. “Damn that man.”<br/>

“Oh come now, I doubt it’s as bad as you think. Remember they involved him with some shady deals, it could be something to do with that. Why would any man in his right mind keep a mistress when he had you at home?” Jake raised an eyebrow and put the newspaper that he’d lost interest in aside. But then again Jake knew Dan wasn’t always the brightest. If he had been, he wouldn’t have ended up dead, he thought.<br/>

“Well just what would you think?” Nadia handed him the papers.<br/>

Before he finished reading them, a waitress came to get their order, then glided away. Jake read over the columns of numbers. “I would say it looks suspicious. But knowing Dan, I will bet it isn’t a mistress. It is likely the thing they killed him for in that storage unit.”<br/>

Nadia blanched white for a moment. “Do— do you think anyone knows it’s there? Do you think they will come for it?”<br/>

“I can’t swear they won’t. What’s odd is that there is no actual contact information for the storage place. It just says self-storage. How would we find out what set of units it is? Have you ever been to Arizona? These places are all over the place.” Jake passed her the papers back and looked at his food, which was being placed in front of him. The quickness of it’s arrival had startled him.<br/>

Nadia looked towards the street, glimpsing her reflection in the window. She was without make up today, her hair pulled up. In the year since Dan had died she had tried to hide her pain under layers of make up but something about Jake let her know it was okay to be herself and free. He was so easy to be around, she didn’t have to be on guard or worry he would bolt out of a date night for business. It was wonderful. Living in the hotel was also exciting to Nadia, it was like a permanent vacation and she didn’t miss the townhouse at all.<br/>

Alan admired the work of the security company that had just finished installing new cameras and a wall of monitors in the main office that he shared with Jake. The new cameras could be controlled with a mouse and they were placed to watch every corridor in the building and every door. Each camera had it’s on screen and the quality was much better than the old CCTV cameras that Jake had left in for far too long. They were in a box by Alan’s feet now, ready to be taken to the dumpster.<br/>

Alan was working on the new camera’s, getting a feel for how to maneuver and zoom them in on people, when Jake poked his head in the door. The sudden appearance was enough to make him look up with a jerk.<br/>

“Good, you’re here. Come and see the new system.” Alan held his hands up at the set up. “Those demons don’t stand a chance.”<br/>
“I wouldn’t say all that but at least we can see them coming.” Jake looked at each of the cameras. “These are great quality. I admit I should have updated sooner, but the old ones worked fine until now.”<br/>

“I doubt these would have stopped the murder,” Alan said. He clicked the mouse to zoom in on the roulette wheel on the main floor. The new operator, was testing the wheel out before the people crowded around it later. “I suspect that he has some sort of scam going already and I will figure it out.”<br/>
Jake laughed. “Well, I have some research to do. I‘ll be in my office. I’ll yell if I need help.”<br/>

“I’m sure you will,” Alan replied, not looking away from the screen. After ten years he was well accustomed to being security as well as IT.<br/>
Only a small reading light, that illuminated the spot above Nadia’s book as she sat in bed reading, broke the darkness of the bedroom. Nadia was focused on the novel in her left hand and the warm tea in the other. She’d been unable to sleep even after several drinks at the bar. Jake had been holed up in his own penthouse all day reading about demons and how to avoid them and the infamous story of the devil at the crossroad. Nadia wasn’t offended by his absence but the distraction would be nice, she thought.<br/>

A hollow knock on the door drew her attention. Half expecting Jake or Alan, she stood, pulling her silk kimono robe tighter around her body. The man on the other side was tall, intimidatingly so. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing an immaculate suit.<br/>

He inclined his head slightly at Nadia, playing with his shiny wrist cuffs. “I am here about your husband- Dan?”<br/>

Nadia raised an eyebrow. “Dan is dead and has been for a while.”<br/>

“Dan has something of mine and I would like it back.” The man replied with no readable expression.<br/>

“What would that be?” Nadia replied with hint of sourness detectable in her voice.<br/>

“A briefcase. It’s about so big--” the man spread his hands apart a little over a foot. His lips pulled back into a sneer, he was being sarcastic. “It’s brown. Has a little handle.”<br/>

“So like every briefcase ever made?” Nadia replied tartly. She knew instantly which briefcase he meant. It was in her closet. She’d shoved it in that box in her closet when she moved in.<br/>

The man gave a gruff laugh, “I’d like it now.”<br/>

“It isn’t here. I will have to fetch it from storage.” Nadia lied, hoping her facial features didn’t give her away.<br/>

They had not, they remained stoic, and annoyed. The man nodded. “I will return tomorrow night and collect it.”<br/>

Nadia said nothing, she instead glared at the man as he turned sharply and stalked to the elevator door, which opened in his face as if by magic without him touching any buttons. Nadia watched him step through the doors and vanish before she turned and went back inside her penthouse. She took care to lock the door and put the chain on as well.<br/>

“Dammit, Dan, “ she muttered as she went into the bedroom and threw open the closet door with a bang. She tore open the box and found the briefcase on top of the contents. “What the hell have you got in here that is so important?”<br/>

Nadia tossed the suitcase on the bed, flipping it over to get at the locks. The latches were locked by a code. She turned the dials, trying her birth year, his birth year, the year they met, and on the fourth attempt- with the code being their anniversary year, the small clasps gave way and popped up.<br/>

“Ha!” Nadia opened the case. The case was filled with carefully wrapped stacks of cash. One hundred-dollar bills to be exact. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting. Maybe documents, cocaine, pictures of some crime- but not crisp, new, wrapped stacks of money. The thought struck her that this could be what he died for. There was no way in Hell she was giving back to them. Her robe swishing about her ankles, she rushed into the kitchen, found her tiny cellphone and dialed Jake’s number quickly.<br/>

Jake looked up from the screen of his desktop computer and reached for his phone. Seeing it was Nadia he answered with a smile. “Hello, beautiful.”<br/>
“Get your ass over here now.” She snapped. “Hurry!”<br/>

Before he could answer she hung up. He was under the wrong impression of what this was about. He shut down the computer and closed the notebook he had scribbled a few notes in before he walked across the hall to Nadia’s. Jake paused for a moment before he knocked on the penthouse door.<br/>

Nadia opened the door quickly, her eyes wide and bright with a hysteria he’d never seen. Her appearance confused him, before he could inquire about what had happened, she grabbed his arm and yanked him inside.<br/>

“What is this about?” Jake watched her lock the door and pull the chain into place once more.<br/>

“Someone just came here looking for a briefcase that Dan supposedly had.” She explained, her bright blue eyes were wide with excitement.<br/>

“Okay— and do you have any idea where this thing is?” Jake rubbed his chin as he did when he was thinking.<br/>

“Come in here.” Nadia headed into the bedroom.<br/>

Jake’s eyes were drawn immediately to the bed when he walked into the room. The case was opened, revealing stacks of cash neatly wrapped in paper bands. Some of them had been tossed out onto the bed by Nadia. Jake slowly picked up a stack and flipped through it. It was real or a very good fake, he thought.<br/>
“There must a million dollars here, Nadia.” Jake thumbed through the stack again, his eyes raking over the cases contents. “Where did it come from?”<br/>
“Dan had this hidden under our bed when he died. I found it when I cleaned up to move here,” she explained, dragging her red painted nails over the cash. “I didn’t realize it was money until tonight. I had tossed this along with the rest of his belongings into the closet and I had no intention of opening it.”<br/>

“My God,” Jake picked up another stack. “You said someone was looking for it?”<br/>

“Yes, and he said he would be back tomorrow night about this time to collect it. Jake, this is probably what they killed Dan for. I can’t just hand it over. I refuse.” Nadia looked at Jake, her expression very serious.<br/>

Jake tossed the bills back in the case and went to look out the window out onto the bright twinkling city lights below. “I have so many questions. Starting with why they waited a year to come collect. They should have shown up before now. Second, how do you propose we hide this amount of money from them? They clearly know you have it.”<br/>

“I won’t fucking do it.” Nadia began throwing the money back into the case and slammed it shut. “Dan gave his life for this and--”<br/>

Jake turned and pointed at the case, “This—this is probably not what they killed him for. Gangsters would have gotten their money before they killed him or right afterwards. They wouldn’t have waited a year. You’ve lived in that townhouse since he died. Believe me, for this amount of money they’d have torn the house apart with you in it to get it. At the very least, they would have approached you about it far before this. There is something else going on here.”<br/>

“What is it?” Nadia turned to him before jerking the case from the bed and sliding it back into the closet.<br/>

“Hell if I know. I am as confused as you are.” Jake rubbed his face. He was much too sober for this.<br/>

“You said you knew Dan before he died. Don’t you know anything?” Nadia was yelling now. Her frustration was bubbling over like the beginning of a volcano eruption.<br/>

“I did. You want the truth? He thought he was slick. He wasn’t. He made mistakes that could have easily been avoided.”<br/>

“Yes, yes, I know all that. But we can do this, right? You’re smarter than Dan, aren’t you? You made a deal with the devil and you’re still alive.” Nadia jabbed her finger at Jake. “I’m not giving them this money. They will have to kill me first.”<br/>

“I’m alive for now, yes. I understand your feelings, Nadia, but I hardly think this piddling amount is worth it. You know?” Jake rolled his eyes.<br/>

“A million dollars is piddling to you?”<br/>

“I own a damned casino, that goes through here in a good weekend. Come on. But if you are so dead set, then fine. Don’t give it back. We can call a friend of mine, and maybe just maybe we can get enough counterfeit bills to fill the case up. Then we can hope and pray that they think Dan was hoarding fake bills and they’ll go away. If they don’t they’ll probably shoot up my casino but, at least we will have tried.” Jake muttered, the last part he mumbled mostly to himself as he pulled out his cell phone and made the call. Before there was an answer he started out the door, “I’ll be back.”<br/>

Alan had gone up to his suite an hour before to rest when the casino slowed for the night. He had not fallen asleep yet, rather he was watching a crime show on television. He flinched when Jake knocked, but opened the door.<br/>

“Jake? Is everything okay?” Alan asked, pulling the door wider so his boss could come in.<br/>

“Did anyone suspicious come in tonight?” Jake stepped in and made his way into the main part of the room where the bed was.<br/>

“Quite a few. I mean-- what is this about?” Alan said with a shrug. “I didn’t see anyone that appeared to want to start trouble.”<br/>

“A man went up to Nadia’s penthouse a little while ago looking for something her husband had.” Jake explained. “Do you think you could pull up the video for me? I hate to ask since you’re already off shift-”<br/>

“Yes, no problem.” Alan grabbed his shoes. He was wearing only his tee shirt and shorts because he had planned to hit up the gym when if couldn’t sleep.<br/>
“I feel so bad that you’re caught up in this mess. This is far and beyond what I hired you for, and I will make sure I take you care of on your next check.” Jake followed the shorter man out into the elevator.<br/>

“If it weren’t for you I would still be on the street.” Alan grinned. “I owe you everything. You’re the only person who was ever willing to take a chance on me.” Alan had a criminal record stemming from an incident he’d gotten caught up in a few years before. Once out of prison, no one would hire him to do more than sweep up and he’d been unable to afford a real place to live. Jake had hired him to clean up the pool and then offered him a full time security position and a suite. Alan had been at the Rock Star for nearly ten years now.<br/>

“Eh, I did what any decent human should have done.” He chuckled. “You’ve been invaluable to me, Alan.”<br/>
In the security room, Alan took a seat and started looking for the file from the hallway they lived on. Easily enough he found the footage, fast forwarding until he found the man walking from the room and to the elevator.<br/>

“There he is.” Alan zoomed in then glanced up at Jake standing behind him. “He was down at the bar earlier, I think. I noticed his watch; it looked like it was all diamonds. Mafia type, you know? I always watch’em. But I thought he left a little before I headed up for the night.”<br/>

Jake committed the man’s face to memory. “Yeah, he is one to watch. He is supposed to be back tomorrow night around midnight to collect the briefcase he was looking for. I may need your help if the hand off goes wrong. If you can stop him in the lobby and call me that would be great.”<br/>

“I will see what I can do. As requested I have three more guards coming on board tomorrow and I will make sure they get a look at this dude.” Alan clicked an icon on the screen and printed the picture out for himself and the others.<br/>

“I better get back to Nadia,” Jake said, stretching tiredly. “Get some rest, tomorrow promises to be eventful.”<br/>

Petrie Del-Ray was a talented counterfeiter; he didn’t just make cash either, he was talented in making fake credit cards, social security cards, and identification of all kinds. His neighbors and anyone who saw him believed he was a technician who fixed office equipment and casino machines. No one gave a second thought to Petrie’s van being at casino's, banks, and other businesses at odd hours.<br/>

Jake ran into him as he came in pushing a large case on a dolly. Petrie’s chubby face broke into a smile. “I hear you have a job for me?”<br/>

“I do,” Jake walked with him onto the elevator with Petrie, who barely reached his shoulder. He was heavy bodied and spoke with a thick Bronx accent. He had been a boxer up North for several years, how he’d ended up here in Vegas no one but him knew. When the door closed Jake spoke again. “I need about a million dollars in fake $100 bills.”<br/>

Petrie’s eyes widened a bit at that. “That’s gonna take a while. You have a good place for me to work?”<br/>

The elevator dinged and opened, Jake led Petrie down the deserted hallway to where Nadia stayed. His own penthouse was across the hallway. Alan lived in the first room after the elevators and the rest of the rooms were used only on occasion if a staff member needed a place to stay. Jake opened the door and held it wide so he could get in, “Is the penthouse okay?”<br/>

Jake watched his friend set up on the table without a word. Nadia watched with some curiosity as she leaned on the wall by the kitchen door with her mug of coffee in hand. Petrie looked over one of the bills Jake provided and nodded in approval.<br/>

Jake helped himself to some coffee in Nadia’s kitchen. It was going to be a long night. Petrie flipped open the heavy laptop and tapped the keys rapidly. It took several minutes for him to get things the way he liked them. “A milli, you say? We are going to need about ten thousand bills.”<br/>


“You have enough paper for that?” Jake tapped the packet of paper on the table by the laptop.<br/>

“Shit, no. Since you didn’t tell me how much we were making tonight. I had no idea it was this much, I usually only deal with thousands at a time.” Petrie explained, looking at the paper dubiously. “We can either go and get more, or we can print out the top half, which I have almost enough for, and the bottom stacks will be blank, we can cut up regular printer paper or notebook paper. I don’t know if it will work if their pros.”<br/>

Jake weighed his options. “I mean, they have no inkling that we even know what’s in there so for all we know, Dan was shorting them with fakes.”<br/>

“I suppose that’s agreeable, but don’t let them count it until they leave.” Petrie started popping in fresh ink cartridges into the small printer before plugging in the cords to the laptop.<br/>

There was the constant whizzing sound of the printer as sheets of bills popped out of it. Each sheet could fit four bills, then Petrie would stack them to the side. When the first side was done he set up again and ran them through on the other side to print the backside, pausing to check and make sure things were turned the right way and lining up. The copies were good, but a pro might tell the difference immediately.<br/>

Petrie instructed Nadia in how to set up the cutter, which was a large paper cutter. “You take your time lining it up. It has to be perfect. I have this line here marked, make sure it’s line up perfect.”<br/>

As the stacks came out, Jake stacked them, making sure the bundles were tightly packs, and Nadia did the cutting.<br/>

“How much longer do you think, Petrie?” Jake asked. He watched Nadia lining up some papers on the big cutter and bringing down the handle to free the bills.<br/>

“We’re old friends, Petrie. You know I’m good for it,” Jake chuckled. “That said, what do you think is fair?”<br/>

“For a million dollar print job? Shoot, I’m going to have to have about twenty grand.” Petrie laid another stack of bills near Jake to.<br/>

“Sounds fair. How about you, Nadia? You think twenty is fair?” Jake called over his shoulder as she slipped the stack into the cutter.<br/>

“I suppose it’s fair. This is a very good counterfeit.” Nadia swiped the cuttings from the table and cutter into a garbage bag. “I will get the cash.”<br/>

It was dawn when Petrie finished. He yawned as he packed the printer and cutter away. “Is that all you need from me this time, Jake?”<br/>

Jake nodded and passed him a thick envelope. “For now. Always a pleasure doing business with you.”<br/>

Petrie tucked the money in his lap top bag and pushed the case out on the dolly. “Likewise. You two be safe.”<br/>


When Jake returned to where Nadia sat in the living room, the curtains behind her were glowing a pale pink in the sun rise. “I should put the cash in the case and we should get some rest I guess. Alan is watching for that fellow and he will detain him if he can. I’ll take the money down to him. You stay out of it.”<br/>

“But, Jake--”<br/>

“Dan didn’t listen to me and look what fucking happened. Don’t be like Dan,” Jake said gruffly, turning to put the faked bills into the case.<br/>

Nadia handed him stack after stack until the case was full and Jake locked it. When the task was done, she sighed. “I’m exhausted.”<br/>

“Me too,” Jake looked down at her, his molten brown eyes softening a bit. “Maybe I should stay and make sure you rest.”<br/>

She laughed and leaned against him, “I don’t think we’d get a lot of rest if you stayed.”<br/>

“Bah, who needs rest?” Jake laughed sleepily. Suddenly he wasn’t all that tired when he leaned in to kiss her. His fingertips ghosted her arms, raising goosebumps in their wake. He felt her shudder and lean into the kiss willingly.<br/>


“I’m not tired anymore,” Nadia said as she pulled Jake into her bedroom with a mischievous grin.<br/>

At the foot of the bed, Jake swept the sheer silk robe off her shoulders; it slid down her arms to the floor with a barely audible rustle. Under it was a matching silk nightgown that barely contained her voluptuous cleavage. The robe had covered just enough of it to appear somewhat modest before. The aquamarine blue silk made her eyes appear almost luminescent blue.<br/>

Nadia wasted no time in undressing Jake as well. Her fingers pulled the tee shirt he was wearing over his head and tossed it somewhere across the room. His upper body was hard with muscle under smooth tanned skin, she ran her hands over his chest, admiring the hardness there before they dipped lower. Jake made no move 
to stop her; rather he just chuckled as she stripped his slacks down. As she expected he wore no underwear, and he was already partly aroused.<br/>

Jake let go of a breath he didn’t know he had been holding when she touched his heated manhood. Instead, he leaned in to kiss her again, tasting the sweet softness of her lips. It was a sharp contrast to how he always remembered her kiss to taste like vodka, lime, and salt. He didn’t dislike either.<br/>

His fingers slid under the straps of her night gown and slipped it off her creamy smooth shoulders. It pooled to the floor in a silent silken puddle. “I like this color on you, Nadia.”<br/>

“I’ll wear it more often,” she breathed, gasping when his lips moved to her neck again. Jake had somehow known all of her weaknesses from the first time they had touched. She had no need to show him what she liked.<br/>

He didn’t answer, but he did push her playfully back into the bed. Her knees gave way against the edge and she fell onto the cool smooth comforter, pulling him down too. Jake’s mouth found her breasts, teasing each nipple into a throbbing peak. Her breasts had always hypnotized him, they were rounded full, he imagined her bra size contained more than one D. He pinned her hands at her side as he tasted her breasts and the valley’s between. His warm tongue swiped down to her navel, his hands and weight holding her captive.<br/>

Roughly, he let her hands go and shoved her legs back and wide apart. Nadia dug her nails into the comforter as his warm mouth found her core. He was so good at this, and he enjoyed when she returned the favor, but he never insisted she do it. She squirmed slightly, her pleasure loud and clear.<br/>
He stopped before she finished, his own need pressing and near painful. Nadia ran her fingers through his unusually long platinum hair, enjoying the silken waves of it pouring over her hand and falling forward over his shoulder to tickle her breasts and collarbone. Nadia, desperate for him to fill her, wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He slid into her effortlessly, as though their bodies had been molded together.<br/>

Nadia rolled her hips, even under Jake’s weight she found it seamless to take him and move. Her inner walls pulsing and pulling him to a climax. In this state of exhausted arousal he could not hold off as long as he usually did, making sure she was shining with sweat and well satisfied before he finished himself.<br/>

Her fingers untangled from his hair and dug into his bare back, leaving red stripes in her passion. Nadia came to her own climax. She said something he couldn’t hear over the hum of his orgasm in his own ears. Had she said she loved him? Panting, his upper body damp with perspiration, Jake pulled away from her and lay beside her on the bed. He decided not to ask questions and ruin the moment when she rested her head on his thick shoulder.<br/>

The sound of his phone somewhere in the room startled Jake awake. For a moment he couldn’t recall where he was, and then he plunged from the bed in search of his phone. He found it in his pants, which Nadia had tossed cross the room. He located it just in time.<br/>

“Hello?” He replied, trying to sound like he wasn’t standing naked in someone else’s bedroom half asleep and dazed.<br/>

The rouse didn’t work, Alan knew where he was and had been all day. “I am going on lunch and I have some errands to run. The new security recruits show up today.”<br/>

“Lunch already?” Jake looked around for the clock, which was on the floor at an odd angle between the bedside table and the bed. It was after one in the afternoon. 

“So it is.”<br/>

“Yeah, I figured you slept in since you didn’t get much sleep last night. Take your time. Larry, the new guy is watching the monitors and there shouldn’t be a problem.”<br/>

“I’ll see you later this afternoon then, make sure you’re here when our visitor comes.” Jake reminded him.<br/>

“Sure thing,” Alan said before hanging up.<br/>

Jake looked at Nadia, asleep still. She hadn’t even moved. He quickly pulled on his pants and shirt before rushing out into the kitchen to get the briefcase.<br/>
The cash room was a small hidden closet in Jake’s office. Petrie had reinforced the door a long time ago. In here he kept the large amounts of cash that were paid out in winnings should someone hit a jackpot, and excess cash that the dealers were not comfortable having on the floor. He locked the door behind him when he went into his office and opened the cash room. The smell of money hit his nose as soon as the door cracked, and his toe bumped a bucket of chips as he walked in. He put the case on a shelf and closed the cash room again, as if someone threatened to barge in and grab everything in the cash room. It had never been robbed, incidentally.<br/>

Jake’s heart was pumping, he knew coffee was a bad idea. Still, he headed out through the casino main lobby and into the hot mid day sun. Clouds in the distance promised rain, a temporary relief, the humidity afterward would be stifling. Jake wasn’t really watching where he was going, he was surprised he made it to the coffee shop without bumping into someone or something.<br/>

The lady at the cash register smiled at him. “The usual, Jake? You’re running late today— wild night?”<br/>

He smiled tiredly, “Yes and I suppose you could say that.”<br/>

“Enjoy your coffee, sweetie,” she said as he made his way over to a table. He sat down with a sigh and relaxed. But he didn’t fully relax, he wasn’t sure he ever would again. This thing with Nadia had become interesting, especially with her literally across the hall. Also, he was sure she had whispered ‘I love you’ when they were making love earlier. She’d never done that before no matter how good the sex had been. If truth were told, he loved Nadia too and had for a while now.<br/>
The lady from the cash register set his coffee in front of him, noting his spaced out expression. She assumed him hungover, it wasn’t the first time she’d seen him like that. Jake barely saw her. He nodded automatically.<br/>

Nadia awakened to find Jake gone. No shock, they never woke up together. She showered and went looking for him. On a hunch, she found him at the coffee shop a few minutes later.<br/>

“You look like something the cat dragged in,” Nadia said as she sat with him without invitation. Her sudden appearance had surprised him.<br/>

“Good afternoon, beautiful.” He flashed her a warm smile. Even in yoga pants and a tank top, she was beautiful to him. “What brings you out?”<br/>

“The case. You know where it is?” She hissed, leaning closer.<br/>

“Yes, I have it in my vault. No worries,” he said, stirring sugar into his coffee.<br/>

“Good,” Nadia said with certain relief. “I did a little reading this morning, and I found out there is a shop in town that handles spiritual issues. They sell stuff to repel demons and curses.”<br/>

He raised an eyebrow. “I saw that on-line, I didn’t believe those places existed until now. Do you think it would be worth a visit to see if perhaps we could get holy water at the least? I read we needed that but I don’t have a clue how to go about getting or making it.”<br/>

“You boil the hell out of it,” Nadia laughed, her laughter like the tinkling of bells as she accepted the cup of coffee from the lady who had brought Jake’s coffee over.<br/>

“That joke is awful,” Jake gave her a withered look but could not resist a chuckle himself. The caffeine was kicking in, and slowly he was coming awake. “You know where this shop is?”<br/>

Nadia nodded, “Yes, I do. We should drive there though. We can take my car.”<br/>

The shop Nadia spoke of was on the West side of Vegas in a strip mall built circa the seventies. This was the ghetto side of Vegas where homeless people pushed stolen shopping carts with their belongings in them and sketchy looking people made their way along the dirty street. Nadia and Jake were getting some strange looks, wondering why such a nice car would be here. The store itself had no sign. It was dank and dirty yellow on the outside, the windows blacked out with poster board. The smell of incense, herbs, and cinnamon brooms that hung drying from the store awning and around the door mingled with the smell of hot asphalt. Jake thought it was quite overwhelming.<br/>

He made a face at Nadia as they stepped around the front of the SUV. “I feel like some old man in here is gonna try to sell me something small and furry that I shouldn’t feed after midnight.”<br/>

Nadia laughed again, and she’d lost count of how many times he made her laugh in the last few days. “Oh, please. Now come in here.”<br/>
The inside of the shop smelled as strongly as the outside but without the asphalt so it was bearable. The air was heavy with thick incense smoke. The heavy smoke blended with the scent of homemade oils, candles, and herbs until he couldn’t distinguish what it was he was actually smelling. Colorful stones lined shelf after shelf, tapestries with peace signs and psychedelic art covered the walls. Various items hung from the ceiling, Jake had to duck the handmade tassels and wind chimes.<br/>

Nadia took little notice and went to the back counter where an older lady sat with a morbidly obese black cat. “Excuse me, do you have holy water?”<br/>
The elderly woman stood, focusing on Jake. “For him?”<br/>

“Yes, I suppose so. We need to cleanse--”<br/>

“He will need a lot more than a cleanse to help him,” she said in a raspy voice. Her eyes narrowed. “I have what you need. Wait here.”<br/>

Jake, who had heard the exchange, came closer to Nadia. “That was creepy.”<br/>

Nadia nodded. “I hope she has something to help.”<br/>

When the woman returned, she carried a bottle of water, a strand of braided grass, and 3 bundles of what looked like dried grass. She sat the items on the counter and proceeded, “This—this is very powerful. If you think you see the demon after you, spray him with this. Put it in a spray bottle. It won’t stop them but it will stun them enough for you to get away. Hang this sweet grass up wherever you live, it will repel evil. Be sure to sage your homes and around them with this sage to keep dark forces. Some are strong enough to get through it, but it will buy you time.”<br/>

Jake nodded and handed her a crispy fifty. “Keep the change. Thank you very much.”<br/>

“Good luck to you both. You will need it.” She watched them leave. She’d sensed the demonic aura around Jake, marking him for demons to find. She didn’t know the whole story, but she could guess he’d made an ill fated deal.<br/>

Jake found Alan in his office watching the monitors just after the night crowd started to come in off the streets. He handed his security guard a small spray bottle. Alan studied it for a moment, sniffing the cap and then looking up at Jake for an answer.<br/>


“That’s holy water or something. If you see a demon— squirt him. It won’t kill ‘em but it will give us time to get away,” Jake explained as he looked through 
messages on his desk. He didn’t have the time or energy to return all these calls.<br/>

Alan was a skeptic but in the last few days he was willing to believe anything. “You think they might come after us inside then?”<br/>

“I know they will. The slime balls have probably already gotten in somehow. I don’t want you to get hurt. It won’t be long until our friend returns for the case.” Jake tossed some papers into the trash.<br/>

The phone beside Alan jangled, Alan reached for it automatically. “Hello?”<br/>

“There is a very large dog running loose on the fifth floor,” a woman on the other end said, her voice was ear piercing in her terror. “I thought this was a pet free establishment? This thing is the size of a Shetland pony.”<br/>

“We are, ma’am.” Alan flicked the mouse, making the screen come to life and began moving the camera around to glimpse what she meant. “We will handle this right away.”<br/>

“Giant dog?” Jake crossed the room in three steps, peering at the screens.<br/>

“That’s what she said, I don’t see it over here, let’s hit this camera- oh, there he is. Wow, he is as big as a pony.” Alan’s brow creased at the sight. The large black canine was the largest he had ever seen. It drifted down the corridor, sniffing the bottom of each door and then stopped to test the air.<br/>

“Come on,” Jake bolted from the office, Alan on his heels. “We got to get to that damn thing before it gets to Nadia. It will use her to get me.”<br/>

“Use her? As in a hostage?” Alan bolted up the stairs behind Jake who had forgone the elevator and gone straight up the stairwells.<br/>

“That’s a hell hound,” Jake paused on the third floor landing and glanced down at Alan, who was slightly behind. Alan blanched and fought down stifling fear that rose in his throat. “Smell that burned match smell? Sulfur. They smell like Sulfur.”<br/>

“Fuck.”<br/>

Jake pushed open the door in the fifth floor stairwell as quietly as he could. With Alan on his heels he raced down the corridor and turned right. Nothing. It had to be on the other side, the halls formed a rectangle around the elevator shaft. Peeking around the corner he saw nothing.<br/>

“It’s around the next corner,” Jake whispered, his eyes locked ahead expecting to see the beast lunge out at any moment.<br/>

Alan felt a hot breath on the small of his back and stiffened. “Or it’s behind us.”<br/>

Jake’s eyes widened, he spun to face the dog. It was there glowering at them with red eyes. “Don’t move, it doesn’t want you.”<br/>

“I don’t intend to.” Alan pressed against the wall. The dog was well past his waist, it reeked. It was even larger than the wolves he had seen camping once in Colorado.<br/>

The beast spared no glance at Alan. Its focus was on Jake. It growled low, a vibration felt rather than heard. The two had locked gazes and Jake refused to show fear even though a hell hound, maybe even this one, had claimed the life of a friend earlier in the week.<br/>

“I’m not going with you,” he said defiantly. “Sorry to disappoint.”<br/>
The dog growled, baring fangs as long as a man’s finger in reply. It advanced.<br/>

Jake’s hand slipped towards his pocket as the same moment the hound lunged. Alan moved with the reflexes of a western gun fighter, spritzing the hound with the holy water from the spray bottle. The hound gave a startled yelp and skittered sideways, the area where the spray hit burst into flames. It looked back with a snarl as it faded away like a ghost.<br/>

Jake finally exhaled. “Good reflex, Alan. Remind me when this is over to buy you a house and a new car.”<br/>

“I’ll just take the car. A Lamborghini,” Alan chuckled nervously. His heart was still threatening to tear out of his chest.<br/>

“I need a drink,” Jake sighed and turned to hit the elevator button.</p><p>  Alan was standing in front of the casino enjoying the fresh night air when the man passed him. Alan instantly recognized that he was here for the money. 
“Excuse me! Stop right there.”<br/>

The well-dressed man turned to Alan with a dark scowl, not used to being ordered about. “May I help you?”<br/>

“No, I’m good. You’re here to meet my boss about a briefcase.” Alan walked closer, hoping to keep this at least somewhat civil. He was a little taken aback by the man’s black eyes. “Come with me.”<br/>

“How do you know who I am?” The man followed Alan to the back of the casino past the machines and into an elevator.<br/>
“We have cameras, buddy, I know everything. Jake, your friend has arrived.” Alan announced, leading the annoyed man into the office, where Jake had been brooding his laptop for the past hour while waiting.<br/>

“Oh ,” Jake stood from his desk, laying his book aside. He picked up the case from the floor beside his foot. He was eager to have this done and over with as soon as possible. “I think it is all there.”<br/>

“I came to collect this from Dan’s wife. Who the hell are you?”<br/>

“I should ask you the same thing.” Jake placed the case on the desk and crossed his arms. “She is no longer Dan’s wife. She is my girlfriend. In the future, I will handle anything pertaining to Dan’s affairs. Dan was an old associate of mine.”<br/>

“Ah, I see. Fucking his wife as soon as he was out of the way, eh? Honorable man.” The man narrowed his eyes at Jake.<br/>

“Who I have relations with does not concern you. Nadia’s safety does. My honor has nothing to do with this exchange. Not that you have room to preach to me about honor when you’re here harassing widows for money they had nothing to do with. Now take the money and get out. Do not come back.” Jake’s face remained unreadable.<br/>

“What will you do if I do?” The stranger grinned and opened the case to see the money. As Jake suspected, he immediately picked out a bill to test for counterfeit. This is where the casino and everyone in it would be in danger.<br/>

“I haven’t run this casino for twenty-odd years without making some friends. You know, I thought   Dan was in debt to the mafia.  You aren’t even a loan shark. I’ve never seen you before.” Jake smirked much to the man’s chagrin. “If you’d left Dan alive-”<br/>

“I didn’t kill Dan. I didn’t have to. He actually just bumbled into a bus running in terror from what he perceived a hell hound.” The other man tossed the bills into the briefcase and closed it. “I hear you’ve had some strange happenings around here.”<br/>

Jake’s jaw worked as he ground his back teeth in frustration, an old habit. He wondered if it had actually been a hound, or it Dan was spooked by one of the strays that roamed the alleys and fled into the intersection where he was hit. The next part of the question made his brows furrow slightly. “Yes, and so does every casino around here. Stay away from Nadia and that’s your last warning.”<br/>

The other man turned and walked straight back out the way he came. Alan watched him cross the lobby and vanish out into night on the small screen.<br/>
“I hope that’s that,” Alan ran through all the screens one more.<br/>

“Should be.” Jake stood staring out the window. “But that leaves the question of what or who was he working for, and did Dan actually kill himself running away or-”<br/>

Nadia didn’t knock when she walked in,cutting Jake off. “I thought I would find you here.”<br/>

“I’m glad you did. Dan’s friend came to get the money.” Jake tossed a foot up on the desk. He hoped she hadn’t heard the last of what he was saying.<br/>
“So is it over?” She moved behind him to massage his shoulders. Nadia knew he had a lot of stress on his shoulders right now.<br/>

“For now. I doubt we will have anymore issues with him. But my issues aren’t even close to solved.” Jake lamented.<br/>

“Maybe they will be soon.” She placed a warm kiss on top of his head and nuzzled his hair. Jake patted the petite hand that rested on his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>  It was exactly three in the morning when a cold blast of air and the stench of sulfur woke Jake. He froze in fear, had the hell hounds found him and gotten in? He couldn’t see in the darkness. Beside him, Nadia stirred awake too. Their eyes met and then turned to the door of the bedroom. There was a man there in the doorway. Jake relaxed, somehow a man seemed less terrifying than one of those hell beasts.<br/>
“I hate to wake you but I am afraid my idiot associate brought me the wrong briefcase.” The figure came closer. We was well dressed, every hair in place, but his eyes seemed to glow orange.<br/>

“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Jake sat up, not even caring he was naked. “What the hell do you mean wrong briefcase? That’s the only one there was.”<br/>

“That was not the right briefcase. That isn’t what I am looking for. I am looking for the other one.” The dark man scowled, raising a brow. “Which is lucky for you, since you tried to rip me off with counterfeit bills.”<br/>

“I don’t understand what you mean. There isn’t another one.” Nadia sat up as well, scowling right back at the intruder. Her chest rose and fell nervously under the aqua night gown, the lace jerked with each heartbeat. “I cleaned out our home. That was the only case I saw.”<br/>
“Stop playing games with me and tell me where Dan hid it.” The man’s voice rose higher.<br/>

His sleepy mind began to work suddenly, “What’s in this case? The last one had money.”<br/>

The man’s form began to waver, he was struggling to hold the human form with such strong feelings clouding his mind. “I’ll be back. Have my case or else.”<br/>

“Or else what?” Jake snapped, but the man vanished in a thick mist before replying. Stunned Jake and Nadia watched the mist evaporate.   Looking at Nadia, Jake spoke quickly. “Does Dan have anything else like a briefcase?”<br/>

“I don’t know,” she said, “That is the only case I have ever seen him with. The bigger question is why is a ghost, demon, or whatever he was, looking for a briefcase? What is going on? I’m dreaming, right?”<br/>

“I wish to God we were.” Jake rolled his eyes and fell back against the pillow, fixing his gaze on the ceiling.<br/>

Nadia scoffed, “What do we do now?”<br/>

Jake saw the tears threatening to spill from her eyes when she looked at him, and his heart melted.   He pulled her close to lie beside him. “We will figure this out. I don’t know how but we will.”<br/>

Nadia rested against him. His scent was soothing, warm and masculine. It made her feel safe and loved. “There is nothing in those boxes but his clothes and some pictures.”<br/>

Jake sighed. “Whatever this thing is that the demon is looking for, I doubt Dan would have told you about it. He must have stashed it somewhere. Maybe we should check the townhouse tomorrow.”<br/>

Nadia had never planned on going back there but Jake had a point. She had packed in a hurry, it was likely she had missed something along the way. Her heart was still beating fast, though it had all happened so fast she had not had time to become truly scared. “You’re right. We should, just to make sure.”<br/>

Jake didn’t sleep at all after that. He lay awake and listened to the sounds of the hotel, pinpointing what each noise was. He was half expecting the demon to return or a large black hound to bash through the door. The sound of the elevator creeping up the shaft, returning guests to their rooms was usually comforting in the night, but tonight it set him on edge. Their floor was only accessible if one had the key card for the elevator.    This prevented anyone but the residents of this corridor from wandering into it.<br/>

The incessant flow of traffic and ever present emergency vehicle sirens were normally white noise to him, but not tonight. Jake was aware of each new sound. He could even pick up the sound of laughter and loud talking near the casino door. But things were slowing down as dawn approached.<br/>

He was still awake when the rays of light burst across the sky and lit the room dimly. Yawning, he sat up and made his way into the kitchen. He hoped Nadia had some coffee. He found it easily and started the coffee pot. But as he sipped the warm liquid on her balcony, an idea dawned on him as bright as the sun was dawning over Vegas. The receipt for the storage unit in Arizona flashed through his mind. He had not looked into it too much, but now it seemed to stand out in his mind like a beacon.<br/>

As if his thinking had awakened her, Nadia joined him on the balcony. Her long hair was down and flowed across her shoulders in messy waves she had not tamed yet. Her face seemed softer without make up on, and her eyes were still sleepy. “You’re up early.”<br/>

“I was thinking.” He took another swallow. “About this demon and this mess and how to fix it and lo-and-behold I have an idea.”<br/>

Nadia pulled the cup away from her mouth and swiped her tongue across her pink lips. “Do you now? What is it?”<br/>

“Dan’s bank records showed he was keeping a storage unit in Arizona. Is that right?” Jake looked at her curiously. He was still in a tee shirt and shorts from the night before. His hair wasn’t brushed yet, the roughness of him made Nadia’s heart jump a bit with excitement.<br/>

“Yes, that’s what it said. Do you think that's where whatever they want is?”<br/>

“That’s exactly what I think. We need to contact the place and see about retrieving the contents of that storage unit.” Jake turned to watch some birds fly across the sky over the brightening blue sky.<br/>

“Good luck, there wasn’t any information about the place. No address, no real name, nothing,” she said dubiously. Though the idea was a good one, she was unsure how to make it reality.<br/>

“The bank may be able to find that for us. Call them when they open.” He didn’t turn to look at her as he spoke, his eyes were focused on the horizon. “If they can we will drive down and get the thing.”<br/>

“What if they can’t?”<br/>

“Then we drive to Arizona and check every damn storage place until we find it. We cannot drop the ball on this one.” Jake finished his coffee and turned to go inside. He really wanted a shower.<br/>

Normally she would have been appalled at such a reckless idea, but when Jake said it, it sounded more like an adventure.</p><p>  The bank, as expected, wasn’t any help. Jake was standing behind Nadia as she sifted through papers on the table. He was as frustrated as she with the lack of help from the bank or any of the credit card companies she’d called. H mad an irritated sound behind her, “I guess we’re headed to Arizona then. We’ll drive down and stop just across state lines to search for storage units. Bring that statement with the charges on it. He probably didn’t go too far across the line. That wouldn’t make sense.”<br/>

“Should I get packed? How long do you think we will be gone?” Nadia looked up at him, her eyebrow raised. “Is this going to take longer than a day?”<br/>

“Who knows?” Jake shrugged as he headed for the door. “I hope we can do it in a day’s time. We’ll take my car, it’s small and fast.”<br/>

“Also because it has the convertible top?” Nadia looked at  him, amused.<br/>

“You got it, toots.” Jake gave her a wink before shutting the bathroom door between them.<br/>

“Did you just call me toots?” She said, blinking at the closed bathroom door. She heard the water start and smiled. “Hey, wait for me! It will save time if we shower together!”<br/>

She heard his hearty laugh behind the door just before she shoved it open. Already the room was steamy and warm. He was already behind the curtain but he could see her figure undressing through it. “Yes, save time and water, very efficient.”</p><p> </p><p>  There wasn’t a lot to see along the highway to Arizona. Wide expanses of flat land, broken by hills and mesas lined the highway. Small antelope darted across the rode and cows seemed content to graze in the middle of nowhere without shelter in sight. The sky was endless as well, deep blue with puffs of clouds drifting by.<br/>

“I don’t get to do this nearly enough,” Jake said as he drove along the barren highway. They hadn’t seen a car since they had gotten out of the city.<br/>
“I’m surprised you don’t do it more often.” Nadia made sure the scarf that held her hair back from her face was secure. She now understood his affection for this old car.<br/>

“You know after this is all taken care of, I see no reason we can’t travel more. See the desert and maybe the rest of the country.” He glanced at her but returned to watching the road.<br/>

“You were in a band, didn’t you guys travel?” Nadia felt a wave of relief when he spoke of this being over. She had very little doubt that he would survive this rather anyone else did or not.<br/>

“That’s not the same. It’s show up, do the show, and leave. We didn’t really stay in one place long enough to explore,” he explained.<br/>

There was a storage place just as they turned onto the main street of a tiny town that seemed to rise up out of nowhere. There had been no road signs and there were no signs  announcing the name of it. Jake turned in quickly, not bothering with a signal and perplexing the people behind him.<br/>

“We have to start somewhere.” He shrugged as they parked.<br/>

“It can’t be this easy, can it?” Nadia read the sign advertising the units as climate controlled and priced at twenty to forty dollars a month.<br/>
“No, but it’s a start. Who knows, we might luck out.” Jake went with her inside<br/>

After explaining the situation, the receptionist seemed sympathetic and searched their records. “We don’t seem to have anything, I am sorry.”<br/>
“It’s okay, thanks for looking. Come on, Nadia, we have another few places to check.” Jake led her outside.<br/>

They checked with every place in town with no results. Nadia sighed heavily at the last place and leaned back in Jake’s seat tiredly. She was already tired of explaining her situation to strangers who looked at her with eyes full of pity for the widowed woman whose husband was hiding a storage unit out of state.<br/>

“How many more do you think we have to check?” She asked, glancing at Jake.<br/>

“I don’t think many more. Did he ever mention anything about friends or relatives in Arizona?” Jake didn’t take his eyes off the road.<br/>

“No. I can’t recall anything.” She scribbled the names of the places they had been in a notebook.<br/>

“Ah, here we go. Good ol’ Waffle House. We should be able to work in here for a while.” He turned into the parking lot and found a space. “Don’t look so defeated, we will find this place and that damned briefcase.”<br/>

Nadia agreed. She hadn’t eaten since the day before and her stomach clenched a little at the smell of food. A good meal would restore her mood. Jake helped with the calls, hoping to get a lead before closing time. It occurred to him that the unit was probably locked, and he didn’t have bolt cutters. While he was lamenting where he was going to get said bolt cutters, Nadia took a call on her cell phone.<br/>

“You’re sure?” Nadia spoke rapidly into the phone. Jake’s interest was piqued. It sounded, dare he say, hopeful? She looked up, her eyes wider. “Yes, yes, we can do that. A few hours I guess. Thank you.”<br/>

“Find something?” Jake raised the coffee cup to his lips.<br/>

“I think so. That was the lady from the bank, she said they traced the charges to an account in Sedona. That is probably where the unit is.” Nadia tossed her phone back into her handbag, done with it for the moment.<br/>

“Sedona? You have an address?” He accepted a refill of coffee.<br/>

“She’s sending it to me now. I hope this is the right place.” Nadia felt a little nervousness in her stomach. She ordered some food, looking forward to filling up and being on their way.<br/>

They finished their meal and it was late afternoon by the time they got started again, the sun was moving behind them in the west and they headed east along the highway, giving them a break from the bright sun in their face, both of them were nicely tanned from having the top back all day.<br/>
The scenery didn’t change much, cactus and mesas along the roadways, mountains rising in the distance against cerulean blue skies. The heat of the day had subsided somewhat, much to their relief. Long shadows from the tall red mesas stretched across the road in front of them. As the sun sank further, Jake pulled over to the barren roadside.<br/>

“Why are we stopping?” Nadia looked around somewhat alarmed. Her mind racing a little, “If we’re broke down out here, it could be days before we’re found.”<br/>

“It’s fine. I’m tired.” Jake rubbed his eyes.<br/>

“We can’t stop here,” she turned in the seat to glare at him.<br/>
“Why? Are we in bat country?” He looked around above them, half smiling. He did look sleepy though, she noticed.<br/>

“Fine, I’ll drive.” She stepped out and stretched on the roadside. “It just feels different out here.”<br/>

“I’ve always said that. This place is almost spiritual.” Jake walked over to her side, pausing for a moment to drink in the sights. “I should put a trailer out here and just live, maybe no one could find me then.”<br/>

She knew he was only half joking about that. Who could blame him, though? He’d given up his career and his life much to soon. Nadia found driving the car much more fun than she had expected. The engine purred and vibrated under her, the car responded at the slightest touch, so different from her SUV. She thought with a smirk, the car was exactly like Jake.<br/>

With the top back she could see the darkness creeping from the east and covering them like a dark blanket. The moon hung in a small crescent over the mountains, surrounded by millions of tiny stars. The stars were more clear than she had ever seen, she thought.<br/>


Jake was asleep in the passenger seat, lulled by the engine and the soft desert flower scented breeze. Nadia worried that she might become lost without his direction, but there literally was no where else for her to go but straight ahead. The signs she saw said nothing about Sedona or where she was, only the speed limit-which no one was around to enforce- and signs warning about various animals crossing the road.<br/>

It was late, and she had no idea how long she’d been driving, but Nadia was growing tired. She was unused to driving such distances and the total darkness of the desert was putting her to sleep behind the wheel. She noticed after a while that Jake wasn’t asleep, rather he was watching the darkness slide by.<br/>
“Mind taking over? I’m getting tired.” Nadia mumbled.<br/>

“Sure thing, pull into that rest area.” He pointed at a sign that advised of a rest area a mile ahead.<br/>

As they took the time to stretch and Jake looked at a map inside a glass case on the side of the restroom building. The glass was scarred from years of blowing 
sand and the light inside seemed to vibrate unsteadily. He squinted to make out the lines and highways.<br/>

“Looks like Sedona isn’t far,” he said as Nadia walked out of the women’s restroom. The light overhead flickered like a strobe, drawing both of them to look up at it.<br/>

“Let’s get out of here. This looks like one of those places where you go missing and are never found.” Nadia shuddered and headed to the car. From the corner of her eye she saw a shadow moving near the trees that surrounded the place and her hair prickled along her neck.<br/>

Jake was behind her, he had noticed her head movement and he’d seen it too. “I saw that. We should get going. Now.”<br/>

“What do you think it was?” She slid into the passenger seat with a glance in the rear-view mirror.<br/>

“Can’t say but it wasn’t good.” Jake fired up the engine, and drove out onto the main road. They didn’t speak as they put distance between them and the rest stop. Nadia watched it in the side mirror until it faded into the darkness behind them.<br/>

It was four in the morning when they arrived in Sedona. The sky was turning steel gray as the dawn came. As they made their way down the deserted main street, they heard the birds beginning to wake and chirp. The air was heavy and humid, but with a distinct chill exclusive to the few hours before dawn. Nadia shuddered a little.<br/>

“Hey that’s the place!” Nadia pointed at the worn down sign ahead. It looked at least fifty years old, yellowed and faded. The words were barely legible.<br/>

“You’re sure?” Jake raised an eyebrow at the shady looking place. He had so many questions about why Dan had chosen this specific one. Jake thought it looked like the kind of place you saw on the news where they found kidnapping victims and meth labs.<br/>

“Yep,” Nadia checked the text and nodded. “Is it open?”<br/>
“Affirmative. This place is scary, I am coming in with you.” He told her as he parked.<br/>

An old man watching television occupied the front desk. But theirs was the only car in the parking lot. The small bell rang when they shoved open the door. It stuck at the bottom. The old man turned from the ancient television and observed them with bespectacled light blue eyes that seemed faded with age.<br/>

“How can I help you nice folks?” The old man asked, hoping he wasn’t about to be robbed.<br/>

Nadia gave him a tired smile, “We just drove in from Vegas. My husband supposedly had a storage unit here. He passed a while ago and I just found out about it. 
Can you check?”<br/>

“What’s his name?” The old man adjusted his glasses and clicked the mouse beside the monitor on the desk. The desktop didn’t look much newer than the TV and it growled and grumbled as if it were annoyed at the intrusion on its sleep mode.<br/>

“Dan Sena,” Nadia said, “I don’t have any other information except the payments were being auto drafted from this business.”<br/>

“Ahh yes, Dan.” The old man stopped typing. His eyes softened but his brow wrinkled. “He is dead?”<br/>

“You knew him?” Jake leaned on the dusty desk.<br/>

“Ah yes, I do. I am sorry to hear of his passing. Was it related to his business?”<br/>
“I think so,” Nadia averted her eyes for a moment. It was still very hard for her to talk about. His funeral had been a brief service, and they had not allowed her to 
see his body before or after. The police said it was in such bad shape. The possible images still haunted her.<br/>

“The police ruled it an accident, but you know how that goes.” Jake touched Nadia’s shoulder to comfort her. “So do you know what’s in the unit?”<br/>

The elder man shook his head. “I only saw a trunk. It’s locked, I do not know what was inside. Do you have a key?”<br/>

“No, sir. I suppose we should get-”<br/>

He silenced Jake with a wave of his hand, then produced a hammer from under the desk. “No need for that. I have a hammer we can use. Follow me.”<br/>

Jake had some reservations about following a man that he didn’t know into a dark back lot, especially when said man was carrying a hammer. But there really was no choice. As they followed him through the rows of units, he introduced himself as Baxter, and explained that Dan and he had become friends over the years.<br/>
“No offense,” Jake drawled, looking around at the big sliding doors, stained with paint, dinged and faded. “But why would Dan come all the way here from Vegas?”<br/>

“Because this is Sedona,” Baxter said as he lead them around yet another corner. The lot sprawled much further than it appeared to from the road.<br/>

“And?” Nadia asked.<br/>

“The demons can’t come here. This place is sacred and the portals will not allow it.” Baxter hit the lock on the unit door with such a clang that both Nadia and Jake jumped a little.<br/>

“Demons can’t come to Sedona?” Jake added, suddenly annoyed that Dan had not shared this information, it would have been helpful.<br/>

“You didn’t know?” Baxter looked at the pair, rubbing the top of his bald head.<br/>

“I did not know that,” Nadia followed Baxter into a unit that was barely big enough for the three. It was hot, stuffy from months of trapped heat and humidity.<br/>
“Yes ma’am,” Baxter said, nodding to the large chest in the middle of the unit; a ring of what looked like table salt surrounded it. “Want me to knock it off?”<br/>

Nadia nodded a little, stepping away to avoid any flying debris. Baxter hit the lock twice before it clattered to the floor. Then, with the two men watching her, Nadia knelt in front of it, her red painted nail traced over the top first. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to see what was in here. But sucking in her breath she flipped open the heavy top.<br/>

Inside was a briefcase. It was the only thing in the trunk. With some measure of relief, Nadia lifted it out. It felt too light to be full of money, she thought. The combination lock wasn’t set, so she could open it easily. Inside there were file folders, some with staples holding them together.<br/>

“Paperwork?” She looked up and Jake, confused.<br/>

Jake leaned down to scoop up one folder, also confused. “What in the world are you hiding in here, Dan?”<br/>

Nadia and Baxter watched Jake’s face, trying to read the expression. It was something between confusion and realization. “This is definitely what he was hiding. Come on, we gotta get this back to Vegas.”<br/>

“Are you sure?” Baxter nodded towards a distant mountain, the peak of a distant mountain. In the strange purple haze of morning, they could see a dark cloud slipping down it. The cloud seemed to emanate from the peak itself. “Once you leave town, they can find you.”<br/>

Jake pursed his lips. “Yet we can’t stay here forever. We have to get back, we have a meeting.”<br/>

“Just be careful,” Baxter said as he turned to leave them. They watched him wander back around the endless rows of storage units, the hammer dangling from his left hand.<br/>

“Careful is what we can’t be. We have to get back.” Jake watched the dark cloud oozing its way down the mountainside.<br/>

Jake tossed the file back in the case and snapped it shut. With purposeful strides he made his way back across the lot. Without a word, he tossed the case in the trunk and slammed it. Alarmed by his body language, Nadia followed without a word. She got into the passenger seat and left him no choice but to drive. She wanted no part of trying to get them out of town with possible demons on their trail. Jake pulled his keys from his pocket and with one last look at the rising sun he got into the car.<br/>

“We leaving the top back?” Nadia looked up into the dawning sky.<br/>

“Why not?” Jake hit the gas. With a vibrating purr the Mustang surged forward, the gear change making it lurch slightly when they sped up on the main road. “Better to see them coming, eh?”<br/>

Nadia clutched the door handle as they sped back into the desert. At the city limit sign, Jake stopped and turned into a fast food chain that was just opening.<br/>

“What the--”<br/>

“I need coffee before I run from the devil.” Jake pulled around the drive thru. Nadia agreed to a cup of coffee herself, she wasn’t hungry. Her bright blue eyes scanned the mountains and the thickening clouds that were gathering at the foot of the mountains and rolling towards them. Already light fog began to settle in the town blurring the buildings as if in a dream.<br/>

Jake drank his coffee in the car, pondering his next move. The only way he could see out of this was to floor it and just try to outrun them. He tossed his empty cup in the backseat and dropped the car in gear before he lost his nerve. “Hold on, honey. We’re about to fly.”<br/>

Nadia braced her feet on the floor, a surge of excitement traveling up her legs as the engine sprang to life. The pavement wasn’t smooth, and the car rattled and bumped along it, hitting a pothole that shook the coffee in her hand, spilling some onto her lap.<br/>

“Dammit,” she muttered. She dabbed at the warm spot with a napkin, but when she turned to put the used napkin on the floor in the backseat, she noticed the dark clouds were now right behind them. There were rolling after them almost as fast as Jake could drive. “Jake!”<br/>

“I know. I see it. All we can do is hope we can beat it to Vegas.” Jake looked in the mirror without moving his head.<br/>

“What the Hell is in that briefcase?” Nadia asked, twisting in the seat at an angle she could see Jake and the cloud.<br/>

“Contracts. Contracts made with the devil. Like I made.”<br/>

“How in the world did he get them? What was he going to do with them, and more to the point is this why he was killed?” Her body went cold despite the warmth of the desert morning.<br/>

Jake nodded without looking at her, his grip on the wheel tightened slightly. “I don’t know how he got those, but he was probably trying to blackmail someone or some thing to break the contract. That old man said that Sedona was sacred, demons can’t get in. So he hid it there until he figured out how to get what he wanted. They killed him because they knew you had no idea what he was doing and would probably be so scared that you’d hand over the case without question.”<br/>

“Boy, were they wrong.” She glanced over her shoulder at the black cloud, it was still rolling forward. “Why isn’t Jake panicking, how was he so  focused?”<br/>

Nadia was looking up at the cloud as it overtook them, so when Jake suddenly hit the brakes and skidded sideways in the road, she was violently flung forward and against the dash, then against the door. She had not bothered with a seat belt in her haste to be on their way. Her upper arm took the full force, though it would be a few hours before the full extent of the bruise showed.<br/>

Holding her injured arm, Nadia saw what had caused this sudden change in direction. There was a man standing in the road, though she could not see his face, it was shielded under a wide brimmed black hat. Jake’s eyes were drawn to the gauges behind the wheel. The gas needle was on E, which didn’t always mean they were out of gas, the thing hadn’t worked right in years. It did mean they were probably running low. He was suddenly angry at himself, he had forgotten to fill up with gas before leaving in his excitement to get back.<br/>

Nadia was unaware of the fact they were nearly out of gas, her focus was on the man who had appeared from nowhere. When she looked back, the man in the street was gone.<br/>

“Where did he go?” She yelled over the roar of the engine and the wind, looking back over her shoulder and then back out the windshield.<br/>

“How the Hell would I know? These are demons.” Jake replied, he had so many unanswered questions. “If he’s ‘magical’ and can make himself vanish and appear, then why was is he chasing us?”<br/>

No sooner than the question crossed his mind, the man was beside the passenger side of the car. Jake swerved towards the demon hoping to hit him, though he doubted that would do anything. The man threw his foot out and kicked the passenger side door, pushing the car towards the left side of the road.<br/>

“I know you didn’t just kick my car, asshole.” Jake ground his teeth together, rage taking over now. “Nadia, get that bottle from the glove box.”<br/>

She rocked back and forth as the car swerved, much to her horror the man was already on the hood. She opened the glove box and found the small spray bottle of water from the shop. It slipped from her grasp into the floor. The car swerved again, slamming her head into the dash. With a curse she recovered the bottle. She pulled herself upwards on the edge of the windshield to spray the man on the hood.<br/>

“Dammit, Nadia, he’s not a cat. Take off the cap and toss it at him.” Jake forced the wheel steady and slowed enough to come alongside the bike again.<br/>

Nadia raised herself in the seat and braced herself on the rim above the windshield, tossing the contents of the bottle into the mans face. With a shriek, the strange man flew off the hood. He skidded along the road and over the shoulder, into the sandy desert soil. With a last shriek that echoed around them, he vanished in a wave of energy. The clouds suddenly cleared. Jake stopped, jumping out of the car.<br/>

“Where are you going?” Nadia turned on her knees, leaning over the seat to watch him open the trunk.<br/>

“Hopefully we have enough gas in this can to get us to Vegas,” he explained as he rapidly shoved the gas can nozzle into the tank.<br/>

“You mean we’re out of gas?” Nadia screamed, not even trying to hide her panic now.<br/>

Jake looked up at her, her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes wide and glowing. The area below her shoulder was turning purple and so was her forehead. “I don’t know, the gas gauge hasn’t worked right in five years.”<br/>

“Damn you, Jake!” She pounded the seat with her small fist before turning around to sit, trying to regain control of her emotions.<br/>

When Jake got back in he handed her another small bottle from his pocket. “This is the last, hold on to it. We may just make it to Vegas before he regenerates.”<br/>
Nadia didn’t speak, and she had her seat belt on when the car launched forward, tires screaming as he turned around at full speed in the road. </p><p> </p><p>  Alan had a bad feeling that he couldn’t explain. The new security recruits had vanished with no trace. He had searched the bathrooms, the bar, the restaurant, and even around the pool. Alan made his way into the office and clicked on the screens. Screen by screen he clicked through footage, looking for the missing men.<br/>

After several moments, he found a frame of one of the men, Griffin, standing by the elevator. He was headed back down to his post after answering a call to a room on the third floor. Suddenly the door of the elevator opened and Griffin vanished. It appeared there was a glitch and the frame of him stepping on the elevator was missing. It just cut to the doors closing. He frantically clicked to find the next frames, the elevator door opened on each floor going down and there was no one on the elevator.<br/>

He found Barry on camera; he had simply gotten up from the chair Alan sat in now and walked out of the office door. But he never appeared on the hall camera.<br/>
“What the fuck is this shit?” Alan exclaimed. More disturbingly, why was he the only one left? Like bolts of electricity, fear rattled through his veins. For a moment he considered calling Jake. But that would be fruitless, he was hours away at least. Glancing towards the office window, he saw dawn breaking in the east. Pink light stretched across the sky and brought the earth to life. Alan went to the window and rested on the sill. He was tired. Had it been one night or two since he’d last went to bed? He could no longer recall.<br/>

“Excuse me,” a voice from the slightly ajar door caught Alan’s attention.<br/>

He pivoted, startled by the sound of someone so early. There should be no one here but employees and this definitely was not any employ. This was a well dressed man, no hair, but his head was as shiny as the ring on his pinky. “Who are you?”<br/>

“I am an associate of the owner of this  establishment.” Boldly, he pushed the door the rest of the way open and let himself in. “My name is Richard.”<br/>
Alan frowned, “Jake is out right now. I can take a message.”<br/>

“My business with him is private.” Richard replied, but didn’t move. It was then that Alan noticed his eyes, they seemed unusually dark.<br/>

Alan pulled the spray bottle from his pocket and spritzed the surprised Richard in the face several times. “Surprise, mother fucker!”<br/>

Richard winced and wiped the droplets from his chin. His brow furrowed into the most confused fashion. The water droplets had barely stung. “What the hell?”<br/>
Alan raised a brow and stepped back. “Oh, you’re not one of them?”<br/>

“One of who?” Richard snapped. “This was a three thousand dollar suit that you just sprayed with water!”<br/>

“Oh, so you went for the cheap one. Look, I’ll tell Jake that you stopped by.” Alan turned around to roll his eyes. “I got to get back to work, I got better things to do. Like find my missing security officers.”<br/>

“Missing? You mean vanished?” Richard replied, his lips turning up on the corners.<br/>

Alan couldn’t see the smile but the tone of voice Richard used sent a chill up his spine. He turned around, raising his brow. “I’m sure they’re out having a smoke or a snack.”<br/>

Richard shrugged, “Maybe. Maybe they’ve been teleported to another plane of existence.”<br/>

Alan resisted the urge to growl. He kept his face smooth and unreadable. “Why would someone zap them to another plane?”<br/>

“Ransom.” Richard chuckled. “You know how it works. Right? Someone has something someone else wants so they kidnap someone until the debt is paid.”<br/>

“Your man already got the brief case. I don’t know what else they could want.” Alan was growing weary of the head games. He wished Richard would get to the point, if there even was a point.<br/>

“There are other items besides money.” Richard replied and turned to go. He left Alan and his multitude of unanswered questions alone in the office.</p><p> </p><p>  “It’s Alan,” Nadia said, holding up Jake’s phone which had just vibrated the console against her leg.<br/>

He sighed and hit the speaker button, “Yeah what’s up?”<br/>

“Your friend Richard stopped by here looking for you,” Alan said, watching out the window for signs of this Richard guy heading to a car in the parking lot. He saw nothing, which further raised his suspicions that Richard wasn’t human.<br/>

“Richard? Richard Hollingsworth?” Jake exclaimed, weird vibe going through him. Richard was a big timer on the crime circuit. What did he want with him?<br/>
“How the fuck should I know? You’re the one who knows all these bad guys.”<br/>

“Was he bald?” Jake asked suddenly.<br/>

“Like a cue ball.” Alan raised an eyebrow.<br/>

“That’s Richard Hollingsworth for sure. He’s a big name on the streets and I have no idea what he wants with me.” Jake’s brow furrowed deeply.<br/>

“I don’t know either, he wouldn’t say. But the new guys have vanished and I think he knows about it.” Alan pursed his lips. “He said something about ransom.”<br/>
“Of course he did,” Jake sighed. “Hold down the fort, we are almost there.”<br/>

They were not almost there, they were still several hours out. Jake tossed the phone in the console and checked his rear view. The road behind them was clear. He hadn’t let the speed drop below eighty since they left Sedona. The nearly five hour drive back seemed to go much faster. That was because he was paying no 
attention to the speed limits; in this frame of mind he would probably run from the cops should they try to stop him.<br/>

“Why aren’t you giving them the contracts? That’s all they want?” Nadia said suddenly. Her voice surprisingly loud over the roar of the engine and wind.<br/>

“Because,” Jake didn’t look at her. He was watching the road and mirrors. “They made this personal a long time ago. I will do what Dan tried to do and didn’t have the chance to finish. If I get killed then, hell, I was going to anyway. But I am not going down without a fight. I have to keep you safe.”<br/>

Nadia raised an eyebrow, studying his strong profile in the early morning sun. “How am I safe with you? You are literally driving us into the belly of the beast here.”<br/>

“I am protecting you by not taking my eyes off you and telling you the truth. Dan tried to protect you by omission, which was the worst thing he could have done.” Jake finally met her eyes quickly before turning back.<br/>

“Do you really think you are the one for this job?” She raised an eyebrow, trying to look sarcastic but the worry in her voice was plain.<br/>

“I’m the last one alive, am I not? I am the last of the band. I guess if I have survived this long, I am pretty good at it. Don’t you think?” He shrugged, relieved that the sun was completely up now. Maybe demons wouldn’t come out in the sunlight. But time was passing, and he needed a plan.<br/>

“Are you planning to negotiate with the devil himself?” Nadia asked after a few miles, the words had been sitting on her lips for the longest time, waiting for her to give them life. She had hesitated though, fearing the answer.<br/>

“That’s exactly what I plan to do. For my soul and Dan’s,” Jake yelled over the wind. “I’ll bust Hell wide open if I have to, but I won’t live in fear of these assholes.”<br/>

It was just before noon when they arrived back at the casino. Jake sat at the kitchen table in his penthouse reading through on-line pages about demonic contracts. Nadia went downstairs to procure food and some coffee for them both since neither had eaten or slept and the sustenance would at least somewhat keep them awake for the next few hours.<br/>

When she came in with the little push cart, Jake glanced up and smiled in approval. “That looks amazing. I think I have a solution.”<br/>

“What’s that?” Nadia poured coffee for Jake and set it beside his laptop before setting the plate of eggs and bacon beside it.<br/>

Jake held up and old looking piece of paper. “This is my contract. See? My bloody finger print at the bottom?”<br/>

She looked over the paper, surprised by how basic it was. No fine print, just stating the persons name and what they’d sold their soul for. Jake’s print was brown with age, but most assuredly a bloody finger print over top of a strange ancient looking sigil.<br/>

“These are blood seals,” he explained.<br/>

“So--” she sipped her own coffee, her foggy brain trying to follow him.<br/>

“Someone will want these pretty badly. So badly, they might want to make a deal.” Jake tossed the paper into the briefcase.<br/>

“So what are you waiting for? Why can’t we just burn them and be done with it?” She tilted her head.<br/>

“Because, most of these have been called in. Only a couple remain uncalled.” He bit into a strip bacon with a satisfied sound, motioning her to look at a blue file folder to his right. “Perhaps I can negotiate a few of these be released.”<br/>

“Like bring them back to life?” She looked alarmed.<br/>

“Well, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for that. But at least I can try to get them to a peaceful resting place.” Jake turned his attention to his eggs. He didn’t want to think of where Dan and his band mates were now. There was no way he dared think he could bring them to life again as much as he wanted to.<br/>

Nadia wanted to ask what if it didn’t work. But she was afraid of the answer- she already knew it. She’d lose Jake forever as she had Dan and she wasn’t ready for that. Their bond was growing each day. She couldn’t imagine her life without him now.<br/>

Sensing she was lost in thought about something important, Jake didn’t speak. Once he finished his breakfast he stood. “I should find Alan and see what has happened since we’ve been gone. You should sage this place and get some sleep.”<br/>

Nadia nodded tiredly. Sleep sounded wonderful. “Be careful.”<br/>

Jake gave her a confident nod as he left with the briefcase in hand. He made his way to the elevator and down to the office floor. Alan was in there, looking over the camera footage one more time to determine if he had missed something because he refused to believe people could just vanish, and he was confused how Richard had gotten in or out of the casino. Maybe there was a door or tunnel somewhere?<br/>

“Hard at work, I see. Did you find the new guys?” Jake went to push the file cabinet aside so he could open the cash room to store the briefcase.<br/>

Alan raised his eyebrow at the case. He shook his head at the question and the pointed at the briefcase. “I assume that’s what Richard was looking for?”<br/>

“Most likely,” Jake shut the door and returned the file cabinet. “You never answered my question.”<br/>

“I still haven’t found them. I haven’t found out how Richard got into the hotel or out. Has the elevator turned into some kind of portal that devours people?” Alan motioned him over to see the footage of the men vanishing.<br/>

“Maybe. Richard is one of the head honchos around here in the organized crime circuit. Somehow I am intrigued, yet not surprised, that he didn’t show up on camera. I am beginning to think half of Vegas is some sort of supernatural entity,” Jake said carelessly as he removed his own contract and folded it down to fit in his pocket.<br/>


“I’ve never believed in this shit until now,” Alan yawned and rubbed his face.<br/>

“You may as well get some sleep. We will be up late tonight, I am sure of it.” Jake sighed and glanced at the locked cash room to reassure himself that it was 
safe.<br/>

Alan took Jake’s advice and left the office for his suite. Jake dismissed the wait and service staff for the next couple of days, he instructed the front desk staff to get out the people who were staying with them under the guise of a gas leak making the place unsafe. Thankfully there was only a handful since it was midweek. When they were refunded, and the hotel was empty of everyone but he, Alan, and Nadia- Jake posted a sign on the door that read “closed until further notice for repairs.” He wasn’t sure what was going to go down, but he wanted no one else involved, nor did he want the publicity. The press would have field day with this place if they knew what went on in here, and it would ruin him. As it was, there was enough coverage of the murder that had happened here, though murder and robbery was a daily occurrence in Vegas and no one batted an eye at it. </p><p> </p><p>Jake let himself out the back door of the hotel and set the alarm. He quickly found his car around the side and headed out onto the boulevard. In his studies he had come across some information about breaking demonic contracts and he had an idea. It was a dangerous one at best.<br/>

He had learned that sage could create a space that no evil thing could enter uninvited, which wasn’t enough for the higher level ones he was dealing with. He had learned demons, unless invited or holding a blood seal, could not inhabit or control a person. But sometimes they were notoriously cocky and would try. So he had saged his clothing while Nadia got breakfast and gotten the address to a nearby church. If he burned the seal he was free, but if he did that, they could still attack him; unless he was purified. A priest could purify him and instruct him how to handle these demons and even defeat them.<br/>

He’d always believed in a higher power. The laws associated with such belief didn’t resonate with a teenage rock star, but they had later in life when he realized he could be so much worse off. Being loyal as he was, he realized this meant a few things for him, most importantly that this wasn’t a choice made lightly and he would have to follow this path the rest of his life. Maybe not as a priest but he would definitely be on a different path.<br/>

A chapel stood alone at the edge of town, not one of those flashing lights with Elvis impersonating priest places, but an honest to God church. The bells rang on Sunday morning and sometimes if he was awake he could hear it. He took a deep breath before walking in, the serene atmosphere at the church swallowed him like nothing he’d ever seen. The place was beautiful. Mahogany paneled walls and pews to match, an ivory and gold altar near the front with flowers around it. From high above a stained glass window depicting Jesus walking on water beamed rainbow colored lights all over the pews.<br/>

A door suddenly squeaked and then closed as the priest came in. He was older, his hair was as white and snow. His face was kind, the kind of grandpa face that was calming and reassuring. When he spoke, Jake heard none of the judgment or scorn he’d expected. “I know you, you’re from the casino. What can I do for you?”<br/>

“Father,” Jake stopped. Was this man a father? “If I can call you that-”<br/>

“Of course, come into my office and lets talk. You look troubled. I am Father Cresson.” The elder man waved Jake through the big wooden door. The office was large but it was cluttered with file boxes and papers of all sorts.<br/>

“I am, Father.” Jake sat down at the chair he was pointed to on the other side of the desk. It was strange, the words didn’t want to come out. How was he supposed to explain to the priest he was a damned soul? “I’ve done some things and I- I need help.”<br/>

Seeing his struggle, Father Cresson realized this wasn’t the usual ‘forgive me Father, for I have sinned’ type of visit. He leaned forward, “Go on, my son.”<br/>

“When I was in high school, I ran away from home to form a band in California. After a year we found ourselves broke, about to be evicted and released from the contract we had managed to secure. Miles, the singer, was obsessed with the occult and at the time I figured it was a bunch of bull—well fairy tales.” He caught the slip and cleared his throat. “So one night, at a show in Mississippi, he talked us into going down to the crossroads and making a deal with the devil.”<br/>

“Oh dear. Tell me you didn’t-” Father Cresson’s eyes were wide and concerned now. Jake was worried the guy might toss him out. Seeing that Jake definitely had done it, he nodded, “Finish the story, if you want.”<br/>

“We did it. I thought this was ridiculous and then a song that was cut as a B-side became an overnight hit. The whole album went crazy. Soon enough we were rich and famous but then just as we were getting used to it, Miles died. He was electrocuted onstage by his mic, which should have been impossible. Long story short, we broke up and I bought the casino and I live there. For the last twenty years these things, hell hounds maybe, have followed me and the rest of the band. Sort of trailing in the shadows. Then my friend Dan got killed and then Brian –I am the only one left.” Jake stopped for a moment. He was thinking of Nadia now. What was this feeling? Tears? He hadn’t cried in decades. Clearing his throat but unable to keep the small crack from his voice he continued, “I have finally found love for the first time and I am just not ready to die. I can’t let my friends sit wherever they are, they deserve peace.”<br/>

Father Cresson moved around the desk and touched Jake. “I cannot break a deal with the devil without the blood seal that binds you. There is something special about you. You are more powerful than you know-”<br/>

Jake handed the surprised man a folded piece of paper. Confused Father Cresson shook it out, his eyes widening. He performed the sign of the cross over his chest. “Oh, merciful saints in heaven preserve me. I never thought I would ever see this in person. This is the original?”<br/>

“I have several more in a briefcase in my office, father. Most already called in. I want to break mine and see if I can negotiate to move them to a more peaceful place,” he said, looking up at the priest, who had gone white as his robe. “Can you help?”<br/>

The holy man nodded stiffly. “Yes. The demons cannot enter the church. It is Holy. I can break this seal and purify you. But as for the others- I could break the seals but without the purification I cannot guarantee the safety of the one’s already crossed over, they could be attacked and reclaimed easily.”<br/>

“Understood,” Jake stood. “What do I do?”<br/>

At the front of the church in the altar, Father Cresson put the paper into a silver bowl. His clear voice, speaking in tongues Jake didn’t understand, filled the church 
rafters and reverberated from the walls in such an eerie fashion, Jake had goosebumps. As he brought the sing-song prayer to an end, Jake felt a rumble. From the ground or from the church itself was unclear. Father Cresson lit incense in a tiny metal holder attached to a chain and began swinging it around until a choking cloud filled the room.<br/>

Satisfied that Jake was choking on the smoke, he began another sing-song prayer in a foreign tongue, holding out his hands. Jake watched intently, though his eyes stung and watered from the smoke. He wondered if something would appear in the mans hands. Nothing did and Jake was beginning to feel strange just watching from the side of the altar.<br/>

Father Cresson drew the prayers to a close the second time. “I will burn this seal. You are released from the binds of Satan. Repeat after me.”<br/>

Father Cresson recited a few words. Jake tried to pay attention but the words were coming so fast. He repeated them though, stumbling over only a few of the words. Just when he thought they’d never end, Father Cresson put down the Holy Book and lit a match. Speaking loudly in tongues he lit the paper on fire and watched it burn. When nothing but the ashes remained he turned to Jake with a small bottle of oil that he flung at him and then placed a small mark between his eyes. Jake felt almost dizzy, warmth enveloped him, almost a buzzing feeling. He was energized; he felt like he could take on anything right now.<br/>

“You are free. They cannot kill you as long as you believe and stand strong in the faith. I know it will be hard since you are new at it, but you must.” Father Cresson explained. “You have a strong spiritual presence of your own, did you know that?”<br/>

Jake raised a brow, “Like God or-”<br/>

“More like angels. You are a guardian, my boy. You only needed to be awakened. Go now. You will soon fight the battle of your life.” Father Cresson smiled. He was exhausted after all that, it had taken a lot of his energy to awaken and protect Jake. “When you get ready to move the souls from one place to the other, fetch me. I will be here all evening.”<br/>

Jake smiled and nodded, his eyes burning with a weird energy that he didn't know what to do with. Something had definitely awakened within him, but what? “Thank you, father.”<br/>

Jake left his car at the church. After all, Father Cresson had said it was Holy ground and demons couldn’t touch it. What better place for his prized car? As he walked along the boulevard towards his casino he had a strange feeling he was being followed or watched. He chalked it up to paranoia and shrugged it off. But he knew better. After that session with Father Cresson he felt different. An energy was growing within his solar plexus, spreading a relaxing warmth all over him. Logically, calm was the last thing he should be right now but he felt like he could almost take a nap.<br/>

So while Nadia and Alan were still resting, Jake relaxed on the sofa in his office. The TV across the room was on, but Jake wasn’t paying much attention to the African lion documentary. His mind wandering, creating almost dream-like hallucinations in the altered half-conscious state. Things he would not remember upon waking but would recall as if by magic when the time was right.<br/>

It was late afternoon when Jake’s phone buzzed. he sat up quickly from his lounging position on the couch. Had he been asleep? He couldn’t tell. Groggily, he answered, “Hello?”<br/>

“Are you at the hotel, Jake?” a British accent crackled on the other end. The connection sizzled lightly.<br/>

“Yes, I am. Who is this?” Jake stood up, now. He knew it was Hollingsworth. A sudden bolt of excitement filled him.<br/>

“You know who I am, come down and meet me by the bar,” Richard chuckled.<br/>

“How did you get in? The place is closed.” Jake hurried to the window to view the street in front of the casino and there was no car there. There were only throngs of tourists passing by.<br/>

“Ah, and so it is. Impressive, no?” Another sizzling hiss went through the line.<br/>
“I’ll be down in a moment,” he replied.<br/>

“Bring the case,” Richard said quickly and ended the call.<br/>

Jake hadn’t had time to form a real plan, like everything else in his life, he was winging it. He removed the case from the cash room before leaving the office. He thought of Nadia asleep upstairs, hoping she stayed asleep long enough to miss whatever was going to happen.<br/>

When Jake stepped off the elevator on the main floor, he realized something was off right away. It was too quiet, he thought. He had sent the staff on their way, but there wasn’t even the distant sound of music from the sound system that was eternally playing. Most of the lights were out but the few that were on buzzed and flickered, creating a horror movie type vibe he didn’t care for. Out on the gaming floor, he walked through the lines of tables and slot machines looking for Richard.<br/>

“All right! You want me, here I am!” Jake called into the darkness of the casino bar. He leaned on the bar, waiting in the silence.<br/>

“Ahh, good.” Richard appeared in front of him. “Just hand over the case and I will be gone.”<br/>

“I am sure you would. But you see, I opened the case. I know what’s in it.” Jake enjoyed the look of concern on Richard’s face. “How about we negotiate?”<br/>
“You think it’s that simple?” Hollingsworth replied, his eyes narrowed. “You got another thing coming.”<br/>

Jake shrugged. “I didn’t even believe in this stuff until afterwards when Miles died.”<br/>

“Ignorance is no excuse. Hand it over.” Richard had been so stunned at the very audacity Jake showed by even suggesting negotiation that he didn’t see Jake’s hand slip under the rim of the bar to press the alarm button that would ring in the office and in Alan’s suite.<br/>

“You return my security guy, cancel the contracts of my old band mates, and you can have the rest of the contracts.” Jake tapped the case. He was in no way sure what he would do should Richard agree. Once again he felt that energy welling up inside of him.<br/>

“No deal,” Hollingsworth snarled predictably. “Griffin doesn’t wish to return. It seems he enjoys being my assistant.”<br/>

“You two an item now?” Jake raised an eyebrow, taunting.<br/>

“Stop your joking around,” Richard hissed. “I will ask once more. That is it. Then there will be consequences. Dire ones.”<br/>

Jake was not swayed in the slightest, he maintained eye contact. To his surprise he felt no sense of fear at all even knowing that Richard was a demon.<br/>

Alan stepped off the elevator, he didn’t know exactly what was going on but Jake had summoned him for good reason. He too felt the odd chill and darkness surround him. By the bar, in the dim flickering lights, he saw Richard and Jake. Casually he made his way over.<br/>

“Ahh, you’re the lad who spritzed me and my suit with water,” Richard turned and sneered at Alan when he sat on the stool beside him.<br/>


Before Jake could comment, Richard spoke with a dark chuckle, answering unvocalized questions as if he had read Jake’s mind. “You see, that water works on lower level demons, ghosts, poltergeist, and entities. It does nothing for high level demons and humans. It is up to you to guess which I am.”<br/>

Jake had expected nothing less, Richard was always immaculate, his scent covered by expensive cologne. At the moment, though, his true scent was escaping. It was something like a burned match. Jake had read that the smell of sulfur was common among demons.<br/>

“I don’t have to guess.” He narrowed his gaze at the man. “Either way, I am not afraid of you. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So I choose to go down fighting like Hell.”<br/>

Glenn entered the room behind Richard. Alan frowned deeply. “You! Where have you been? You stepped into an elevator and poof!”<br/>
Griffin laughed a little at Alan. “I was the mole. I am the one who breached the perimeter and set up the portals. Sucker.”<br/>
Alan made a move to attack, not realizing Griffin wasn’t human or just not caring. Jake threw out his arm and stopped him. “Stop, Alan. You have no chance one on one.”<br/>

Griffin moved closer to Jake, “Give us the case and we will be on our way. Maybe we’ll even let you go.”<br/>

Jake glanced at Alan, who seemed to understand something was about to happen. With the quickness of a cat, Jake threw the case at Alan and sucker punched Griffin. Despite being a demon, his human shape was not indestructible, just repairable. He stumbled backwards to the floor. Richard was on them in a second, Jake absorbed a few punches that should have taken him right off his feet and left him unconscious. He was beginning to understand he indeed was growing stronger somehow.<br/>

Richard sent him flying with a punch, though, and Jake landed against the elevator doors. His fingers rapidly slammed into the elevator button. The door opened in the face of Nadia, her eyes widened at the sight before her. She had no time to react before Jake fell into the elevator with her, loosing his footing and slipping to the floor.<br/>

“Catch!” Alan yelled at Jake, tossing the case into the closing doors.<br/>

It landed in Jake’s lap with a thud. Nadia pushed every button on the wall by the door, having no clue where to go but desperate to escape. The bells dinged as the floors passed, but the doors didn’t open. “Where are we going?”<br/>

“Probably the basement.” Jake reached up to grab the handrail and pull himself up to standing. “It will go all the way down before it stops.”<br/>

When the elevator door opened to reveal the basement, Jake and Nadia stepped out into the darkness. Jake’s hand shot out to hit the light switch automatically. The lights came on, a dull blue hue that illuminated some areas and cast dangerous shadows in others.<br/>

“Stay close,” he said as he led her through the shelves. “We need a weapon. Something we can protect ourselves with. The water doesn’t work on these guys. But I noticed when I hit Griffin- he fell like a rock. Their human bodies aren’t indestructible. But it will slow them down.”<br/>

She held the case, watching him tear through boxes of utensils. A bag fell off the top shelf, exploding on the floor with an avalanche of salt coming from the bag.<br/>

“Demons don’t like salt,” Nadia blurted. “Do you think it will work?”<br/>

“Who knows?” Jake grabbed a handful of the white stuff and let it sift through his fingers back to the pile on the floor. “I haven’t seen this much white stuff since nineteen-eighty-nine.”<br/>

His jokes were lame as always and horribly timed. But she couldn’t help a chuckle. “You’re hilarious.”<br/>

“I’m truthful.” He looked up from where he was squatting, digging in the salt. “If we survive this, I promise, I’ll take you on a month long bender in the desert with some bands I know.”<br/>

Nadia’s eyes widened. “You— would? You mean you want me around after all this?”<br/>

“For fuck sakes, woman.” He stood up suddenly. “Why would I blame you for this? This has nothing to do with you.”<br/>

She smiled. “Thank you— what’s that?”<br/>

He looked where she was pointing and for a moment it didn’t register what the item she pointed at was. At first he thought it was a pump sprayer but then with a sudden jolt, he realized it was a flamethrower. He had bought it last summer to take out the fire ant mounds around the property.<br/>

“Ha! I almost forgot about that thing.” He picked it up, testing the weight and feeling pure relief when he felt it was mostly full. “My flame thrower!”<br/>

Nadia grinned, “That’s what I thought it was. Do you think we could--”<br/>

“Hell yeah, we can try. We will at least have a fighting chance.” A noise drew their attention across the dim basement. The elevator was coming down and once it stopped, the doors opened. Footsteps clicked on the cement floor, and Jake stood up on tip-toe to see past the boxes on the shelf. He saw a shock of disheveled brown hair that he recognized as Griffin. Nadia clung to the case, both arms wrapped around it, pressing it to her chest. It had become a reality that their lives and a few souls depended on her and Jake getting out of here.<br/>

Griffin wandered the lines of shelves, looking aimlessly for them. Jake realized he needed a distraction. The elevator door was open and would remain so until the buttons were pushed on the above floors. He looked around quickly, his eyes falling on a box above him. Nadia bit her lip nervously, watching him work it down as silently as possible. A puff of dust followed the box down and Nadia clapped a hand over her nose to avoid sneezing.<br/>

“Thank you, God.” Jake mused silently when he peered into the box. The box contained fireworks in an ancient cloth shopping bag. Probably several years old, he couldn’t recall the last time they had set them off around here. Shouldering the strap on the sprayer and grabbing the bag of fireworks, he gave Nadia a pointed look, pointing towards the elevator. His voice was barely audible. “Just go!”<br/>

Griffin stopped at the sound of her footsteps and turned around. Jake sprang from his hiding place, dropping an empty box with a bang. Griffin’s face brightened a little, then dulled when the sparkling, hissing object was launched at him. The firecracker landed at Griffin’s feet, sparks flying as it spun around screaming. In the cloud and shower of sparks, Jake got across the basement and into the elevator with Nadia. Already the acrid smell of the spent explosive was filling the room.<br/>
“We gotta find Alan. No telling what they’ll do to him— or what they’ve done.” He looked up at the elevator ceiling, noting some lights were out, as if that mattered right now. The doors popped open on the first floor where the gambling tables and bar was.<br/>
The lights were out completely now, only the emergency lights along the floor kept it from being pitch black, but the lights barely cut the darkness. Jake felt a shudder up his spine, he had never seen the place this dark since he had bought it. He had bought it as a working casino and so it had remained for the past two decades.<br/>

“Where are we going?” Nadia looked around nervously, it had occurred to her they were not headed towards the door.<br/>

Jake tried a switch in a far corner but the lights remained off, he realized there was no sound from the cooling system either. The power was cut off, except the emergency generators that kept the lights and elevators going. Those were outside on the side of the building, though. He wondered if the main switch had been throw, but there was no time to look. “Damn it. They somehow cut the power. It won’t be long until they figure out how to cut the emergency lights too.”<br/>

That wasn’t the answer she wanted. Huddled against Jake she scanned the dark open floor. The slot machines and tables loomed eerily in the dim shadows. “Why don’t we just leave? Let ‘em have the place?”<br/>

“Oh, so you think they won’t find us if we just run? Hell no, I ain’t giving this place up, it’s all I got.” Jake looked down at her, annoyed she’d even suggest such a thing. Footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Someone was walking around in the darkness near the slot machines. Jake tensed, hoping against all odds it was Alan since he hadn’t heard the elevator move yet. Silently he wondered, “Would demons even need an elevator?”<br/>

“Jake?” Came the low voice across the room. Alan had made out the shapes of Jake and Nadia against the darkness, “Is that you?”<br/>

“Alan?” Jake sighed in relief and with Nadia in tow he walked towards the security guard. “Are you okay?”<br/>

“I’m fine. Quick question, though. What the hell is going on here? Who are these maniacs?” Alan looked them over, pleased to see neither of them injured. He’d have never forgiven himself if they were. He was their security guard after all.<br/>

“The bald one is a crime boss here in Vegas, not top level, but nothing to sneeze at either. I didn’t know he was a demon until now. Griffin is just some second rate demon lap dog.” Jake held up the nozzle to the flame thrower. “I am willing to fight fire with fire, you?”<br/>

“Nice.” Alan glanced around the darkness. There was no sign of anyone else around. “Where is everyone? They didn’t back off that easy.”<br/>

“They’re laid up trying to catch us off guard.” Jake pulled some of the fireworks from his belt and gave them to Alan. “Let’s hope the elevator still works.”<br/>

The elevator was dark, the lights were out or missing. The door didn’t close behind them, the button panel didn’t light up and the car didn’t move when the buttons were pushed. Alan rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Stairs it is, I guess.”<br/>

The service stairs were near the bar. It wasn’t a long walk to it but in the darkness everything was a potential enemy, so the trio remained wary. Alan opened the stairwell door as quietly as he could, allowing the other two in.<br/>

“You know, I am confused,” Jake said, looking down from the second landing. “If this guy is as strong as he says he is, he could just get us. What is the hold up? How did fireworks stop Griffin? This could end up being some sort of game for them with a boss at the end.”<br/>

“Great, a boss fight with Lucifer.” Jake sighed. “I don’t think- what was that?”<br/>

The sound of doors opening and closing above and below them echoed in the enclosed space. Richard was suddenly standing on the landing above them blocking the only door and Griffin stood on the bottom floor, a smug grin hidden behind his goatee. There was no way up or down now. Nadia was still holding the briefcase. She’d been holding it so tight, for so long, that even Jake had forgotten she was holding it. She squeezed it against her ample breasts even tighter.<br/>

“Well it appears you are out of options. You have played into my hands. I knew you humans would try the stairs. Pathetically predictable.” Richard chuckled, the sound rumbling off the walls. “Hand over the briefcase.”<br/>

“No chance,” Nadia said with far more bravado than she’d ever heard in her own voice.<br/>

“You heard the lady.” Jake shrugged and glanced back, Alan was watching Griffin like a hawk watching a rabbit. “I’ll negotiate with you for the return of the case if you are willing.”<br/>

“Never.” Richard crossed his arms defiantly.<br/>

Jake’s hand slipped into his pocket and then behind him, poking Alan with his lighter. Alan took the hint and took it and lit one of the firecrackers he had stashed in his belt.<br/>

“I’m not about to honor any deal-” The rest of what he said was drowned out by the explosions and shower of sparks from below.<br/>

The fireworks were incredibly loud in such a small space, Nadia wished she could put her hands over her ears but she refused to let go of the case so she closed her eyes as if that would help block out the sound. Jake turned the knob near the nozzle and felt the slight vibration of the gas moving into it. If not for the fireworks, he would be able to hear the audible hiss. The trigger clicked under his finger, shooting out a stream of orange flame that reached all the way to the landing.<br/>
Richard didn’t bother moving. He allowed the flames to engulf him in a fiery ball. The flames looked almost liquid against him, licking up his torso and around his face like water. Richard threw his arms wide with a maniacal laugh that rang over the screaming fireworks and the roar of the flames.<br/>

The flame receded, becoming a light blue glow before going out. Jake clicked the trigger a few times before he realized it was out of fuel. The pack felt much lighter. Hollingsworth, once again, vanished.<br/>

“Bottom door is clear, lets go!” Alan said a little louder than was necessary, his words fell loudly on ears that were still sensitive after the fireworks.<br/>

Jake shed the pump spray from his shoulder as they headed down the stairs and back out into the darkened game floor. Turning around, Jake hit the emergency latch as if that would stop a man who had withstood a fireball from a flamethrower without the slightest hint of discomfort. Nadia’s eyes met him with panic and terror when he turned around.<br/>

“Well, if fire to the face didn’t work, I doubt a bullet will.” Alan panted, leaning against the wall by the door. “That holy water didn’t work, either. You got any other ideas how to negotiate with the devil for your soul?”<br/>

“Only one and I don’t have a fiddle so that’s out.” Jake stared at the door, expecting it to blast open at any second and there would be Richard. He didn’t know where the other two were.<br/>

Nadia sighed in exasperation. “This is no time for jokes!”<br/>

“Who said I was joking. I don’t know a bit more about what’s going on here than you. I know giving up ain’t even an option.” Jake retorted with a frown.<br/>

“Let’s head for the kitchen,” Alan walked quickly towards the big swinging doors. “There are knives in there. Maybe a blade to the heart?”<br/>

“That’s vampires you’re thinking of.” Jake followed his friend and security guard.<br/>

“It’s worth a try,” Alan pressed the doors open and peered inside. The whole room was lit by two narrow windows, but it was still oddly dark even in the middle of 
the day. There didn’t appear to be any movement in there, so he proceeded in.<br/>

With the power cut, it was rapidly growing warmer in the casino. Nadia was becoming aware of the sweat soaking through her shirt and bra. It wouldn’t be long until the Vegas sun would heat the place up to unbearable proportions. She put the briefcase on the metal food prep table and wiped some sweat from her forehead with her shirt hem.<br/>

Jake picked up a large stainless steel salt shaker from the table. “They’re sensitive to salt. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”<br/>

“Anything is worth a try at this point.” Alan’s attention was drawn across the kitchen to the light tapping of claws on the tile floor. Knowing there were no animals in the hotel, Alan could only think of one thing it could be.<br/>

Jake seemed to notice as well, he pushed Nadia behind him, his eyes seeking through the darkness for the source of the sound. He heard snuffling as the animals moved closer and closer to them. Alan turned to look at Jake, silently asking what to do next.<br/>

Jake picked up the salt shaker, it was all he could think of at the moment. He intended to toss the salt onto the hell hound that was coming closer. Alan moved behind the food preparation table, putting it between him and whatever was coming.<br/>

On the edge of the shadows that cut across the floor, the two black dogs appeared. They were lanky, appearing to be underfed, their skin appeared shiny black almost like they had no hair. Their eyes glowed red, not wavering as they sized up the humans behind the metal table.<br/>

When the hounds finally lunged at them over the table, Nadia’s scream burst forward and echoed in the tile and metal filled room at a deafening volume. Jake threw the salt in a wide arc, coating them and the metal table they stood on with a shower of it, but it didn’t stop them completely.<br/>

They stopped lunging at the humans but they were still snarling and snapping viciously, making it near impossible to get around them safely. Alan struck out with the big kitchen knife he had found, driving it into one hounds neck with as much force as he could. The smell of sulfur escaped as if he had punctured a balloon filled with the stuff, and the dog seemed to vanish in a vile smelling puff of smoke.<br/>

Jake grabbed Alan’s shoulder to distract him from his amazement at how easily vanquished the hell hound was. He directed him towards the kitchen door and away from the remaining hound, who for the moment seemed distracted as it sniffed where the other had been.<br/>

“Help me,” Jake nudged Alan when they were out of the kitchen door. When Alan turned, Jake was already heaving the ice machine across the door.<br/>
Alan shoved alongside him with a groan, “Think this will work?”<br/>

“Maybe not but we gotta try,” Jake replied just as the hound tore into the door, banging it against the ice machine with such a clatter, it seemed like the metal doors would break.<br/>

Nadia’s throat was stripped raw from the sheer force of the scream she had lost control of in the kitchen. Her voice when she spoke sounded hoarse and gravelly. “Where do we go? They have us trapped.”<br/>

“The elevator.” Alan fumbled in his pocket, suddenly remembering he had keys. “They may have it disabled, but I have the keys and I can see about getting the emergency function to work.<br/>

Jake nodded, leading Nadia with an arm around her shoulder into the elevator car. Alan used one key to remove the service panel, pushing buttons and inserting another key to get the generator going. The ice machine flipped with a crash, spilling ice across the brightly colored carpet.<br/>

“Alan, you’re gonna have to hurry, buddy.” Jake said quickly. He saw the hound looking around and sniffing for a moment before it caught onto the location of its prey. Nadia had wedged herself into the corner and squeezed her eyes closed in terror.<br/>

“Dammit!” Alan angrily kicked the defiant control panel and it starting a sudden whirring noise, and the doors closed. The elevator doors closed just in time for the hound to bash itself against them, baying in wild excitement. It clearly thought it had its quarry cornered, and in a sense it was.<br/>

“Is it working?” Jake leaned forward a bit to see what Alan was doing to the panel now.<br/>

“I got the door closed, but I can’t get us moving yet,” he mumbled as he pushed buttons and turned keys erratically. He was no longer sure what he was doing. He was just trying everything and hoping something happened. Anything but the doors coming open, that is.<br/>

The doors began to part slightly as the hound dug at the middle of them. It revealed its snout and teeth, filling the car with its stench. Nadia refused to look, she knew she would start screaming if she did.<br/>

The elevator jolted and moved but the enclosed space made it difficult to know which way they were going. It felt as though it had dropped a few floors before it rumbled and started to ascend. When it stopped, the door was still closed, and they were trapped.<br/>

Alan grabbed the doors and forced them apart, relieved to find them on the on the same floor as the office. He exhaled. “Thank, God.”<br/>

Jake wasn’t sure if the office was safer but there was at least water in there and it might give them a moment to plan out the next move. He opened the door and ushered the other two in before closing and sliding the office sofa in front of it. The office, with with its huge windows, was sweltering in the heat. Jake went quickly over to open one window, letting in the slight breeze.<br/>

“We gotta do something,” Alan panted as he retrieved the water out of the mini fridge.<br/>

“But what? He won’t negotiate.” Jake emptied the bottle of water in a few seconds with a grateful sigh. He looked down at the tourists below, laughing and going about their shopping and gambling with no knowledge of the terror in this particular building.<br/>

The water and the fresh air seemed to revive them all. Alan sat on the sofa in front of the door and held his face in his hands, praying the best way he knew how.<br/>

Nadia stood up, placing the case on Jake’s desk. “Why can’t he just come and take it? He’s obviously stronger than us.”<br/>

Her question reflected what Jake was thinking. “I have that demons have no power over you unless you let them.”<br/>

“So because if we believe in God, we’re safe?” Nadia peered out the window beside Jake. That seemed a bit ridiculous given their situation.<br/>

“What about me? I’ve been an atheist for my whole life-- I’m a goner.” Alan chuckled nervously from across the room.<br/>

“You believe now, don’t you?” Jake turned to him quickly.<br/>

“Yeah-- I do--”<br/>

“That’s all you gotta do. That’s gotta be what’s kept him from just killing us and taking what he wants. Which by now is probably all of us in Hell.” Jake hugged Nadia. She was a mess, strands of her hair had escaped her bun and flew wildly around her head, some strands were stuck to her sweat soaked face. He didn’t look much better, he knew. After this he vowed they would take the longest shower known to man.<br/>

Alan nodded, still unsure if his new belief was enough to save him.<br/>

Jake stared motionless out into the blue sky. The breeze helped diffuse the heat, as did the shadows that were falling over the side of the building as the sun moved to the opposite side of it. Nadia and Alan had taken turns washing up in the private office bathroom.<br/>

“You should go wash up, too” Nadia suggested, placing a hand on Jake’s sweat soaked back. “You’re drenched.”<br/>

He turned with a faint smile. “I suppose you’re right. You two stay in the office and don’t open that door for anyone.”<br/>

In the bathroom, Jake couldn’t resist a sigh as he splashed his face with the cool water. He would never take it for granted again, he promised as he used a hand towel to clean up. He tied his wet hair back at the nape of his neck. When he met his own eyes in the mirror he heard a small but deep voice somewhere in his head.<br/>

“You’ve had a good run,” said the voice in his head, deep and smooth. “You were a rock star, money, drugs, cars, pretty women— all the women, a casino, more money than you’ll ever spend. You thought all that didn’t come with a price? Shit, if you hadn’t sold your soul- the devil would have probably claimed it, anyway. Let’s face it, you aren’t strong enough to fight me. Give up like your friends did, Jake.”<br/>

Jake straightened, narrowing his eyes in the mirror. He couldn’t deny it wasn’t true. Famous or not, he had been on the road to the rock star life from an early age. He shook his head, his eyes suddenly bright as he replied, “No. I never set out to ruin anyone. I never hurt anybody. You are a liar. I will never give up to you in this lifetime.<br/>

Somewhere in the air he heard Father Cresson’s voice again too, “You have the power, Jake, to fight this thing.”<br/>

“I am not a saint,” Jake looked around, wondering where the voice came from. He saw nothing but the four walls of the bathroom. “I am not qualified for this, I am a human.”<br/>

“The qualified don’t get called, boy. The called get qualified,” yet another voice said from somewhere unseen.<br/>

Jake felt panic creeping up his spine. All these voices from seemingly nowhere. He rubbed his face, muttering, “I must have gotten to hot and I’m having a heat stroke. That’s why I am hearing all these voices. It’s just some kind of panic attack.”<br/>

“It’s not a panic attack,” the third voice cut in on his thinking. This really alarmed Jake, he had only thought his words. These things could hear his thought?<br/>

“What is it then?” He gripped the counter around the sink as if it were his own sanity that he was holding on to. He searched the ceiling and walls around him for some sign of a speaker or a person. Nothing.<br/>

“Father Cresson explained it. You have the power. I can’t tell you how to tap it, you have to connect to it yourself. Go down there and face the demons, do not cower here in fear. They cannot harm you. They have no power over you at all. Unless you give it to them.” The voice, Jake realized, sounded like Dan’s.<br/>

It suddenly clicked in him that this was the only way to end this. He had to end it now or they would be trapped here in this hotel, this office, this bathroom until they perished. They were up against supernatural beings, they could hold them hostage indefinitely unless one of them caved.<br/>

He burst out of the bathroom so fast it startled Nadia and Alan, who both reclined on the couch, drowsily. Jake looked crazed. Without a word he opened his desk drawer and picked up a pair of red dice. Tossing them on the desk he smiled as they landed, one on five, the other on two. A second time, a third, fourth and fifth time in a row they landed with a clatter on the desk— one on five and the other on two.<br/>

“What are you doing?” Nadia came closer, her face tense with worry. Had he finally lost it in the heat?<br/>

“Loaded dice.” He tossed them out again for her to see. “I got an idea.”<br/>

Alan raised an eyebrow, he could already tell where this was going. “You wanna cheat the devil?”<br/>

“Maybe. But maybe I don’t have to.” Jake squeezed the dice in his hand. “I think I can beat them at their own game. Father Cresson said I could do it.”<br/>

“Father Cresson?” Nadia asked, her brow furrowed. “You spoke to a priest?”<br/>

“You have a better idea?” He slammed the desk drawer closed with his knee. “I went for help and he gave it. I just gotta step up is all. Enough running and hiding.”<br/>

“This is crazy,” Alan said quickly. “The odds are not in your favor, Jake! You know next to nothing about fighting demons, devils, whatever the hell is down there.”<br/>

“What makes you think he will even talk with you? He already has a blood seal on your soul,” Nadia sat on the desk and watched Jake toss the dice a few more times. Each time they hit seven.<br/>

“Not anymore he doesn’t. Father Cresson broke it. He don’t know that yet, though. I’m betting there’s some sort of hierarchy in the underworld, for lack of a better name for where ever he and Griffin came from. I am betting the more souls they get the higher up the ladder they go.” Jake rattled the loaded dice in his hand. “I’m betting that I can get them to take me with them into the underworld, Hell, whatever it is. I bet since they don’t own me I can escape easily, and rescue a few of those still bound by blood along the way. See what I mean? I am more powerful than they. Pretty sure.”<br/>

Alan opened his mouth to speak but stopped. A low rumbling roar in the distance caught his attention. Jake noticed it too and turned to peer out the window, looking for the source.<br/>

“Is that a plane?” Nadia moved over to look up in the sky as well.<br/>

The building vibrated. Lightly at first, then the vibration picked up slightly, growing stronger. A trailing vine growing by the window in a hanging basket began to sway and plaster from the ceiling peppered the top of Jake’s desk.<br/>

“Earthquake?” Alan said over the roar. “I don’t recall there ever being one here in Vegas.”<br/>

“There hasn’t been for a long while but that’s all we need right now.” Jake pulled Nadia closer to him and she seemed to burrow into his strong chest. She was at her wits end, grasping at the final straws of her sanity. She wanted to be angry at her dead husband for making this mess, but somehow she couldn’t.<br/>
On the lower floor, the slot machines rocked dangerously in the earthquake, the sound of the coins inside clinking like tiny bells. The glasses behind the bar crashed to the floor, shattering on the hard floor like a hail storm of crystal. TV’s mounted on the wall around the bar smashed down as well, spilling their electronic contents across the tables and floor.<br/>

Jake let Nadia go, the shaking had stopped. He was sure that had something to do with the guys downstairs. It was a scare tactic. Still, he thought. It had been effective.<br/>

“The hotel won’t take much more of that,” Alan commented, nodding towards the cracked dry wall behind Jake and Nadia. “We need to make our move.”<br/>
It was then Nadia noticed the coolness in the room. She moved to the broken window and gazed out upon rolling storm clouds quickly covering Vegas and sending tourists below into the casinos to seek shelter. “There’s a storm coming.”<br/>

“Next will be a damn plague of locusts,” Alan commented, also noticing the rapidly darkening sky. Lightning zinged by the window and thunder roared in the clouds.<br/>

“Don’t even say that, you might curse us.” Jake snapped. He felt the cold wind from the storms sudden rush of wind. “Somehow I don’t think this is a normal storm.”<br/>

Nothing else had been normal, Nadia thought. So why would something as common as a summer storm be normal? She watched another bolt of lightning hit a light pole by the front of the casino and run to the ground. She turned away before she saw the being that materialized in the small cloud of dust and sparks kicked up by the bolt.<br/>

“I’m going to head into my suite and shower, get dressed.” Jake started for the door. “I want to look together. No fear. All business. You and Nadia sneak down the back stairs and get out of the casino. Get Father Cresson and get back here. Meet me with the case and the Father by the bar. I don’t know how long this will take.”<br/>

“I understand,” Alan nodded and watched his friend go. But he was far from okay, the feeling of dread that he hadn’t shaken in the past two days was choking now. “What if-”<br/>

“Do it.” Jake kissed Nadia’s cheek and shoved the heavy couch aside as if it weighed nothing.<br/>

Nadia didn’t speak at first, But after a few moments she exhaled. “I hope he knows what he’s doing.”<br/>

“Loaded dice, how is he gonna lose?” Alan chuckled, hoping to calm her and himself with his words. But it didn’t work. Plenty could go wrong and they both knew it. This was a dangerous game.<br/>

“What if— what if he loses? What if we die?” Nadia crossed her arms across her chest to hold back the panic that was rising.<br/>
Alan pursed his lips together. “I’d rather die trying. Wouldn’t you? Come on.”<br/>

The being that materialized in the lightning strike suddenly appeared in the bar behind Griffin and Richard. Bruce was, like them, a hunter of souls. He had lost Nadia and Jake in Sedona and in any other situation he’d have forgotten about it. But the scar left by the Holy water Nadia had tossed at him was visible on the left side of his face and he had a bone to pick.<br/>

“We’ve had them holed up in the office on an upper floor for a while now. They can’t stay there forever. Humans can’t take the heat or go without food and water that long. We’re planning to wait them out.” Richard explained, sipping a martini from a fluted glass. “You can wait with us, there are three of them.”<br/>

“I didn’t know the other man and the woman had a pact,” Griffin replied, stirring his drink lightly with a glass stir stick, the clinking of glass on glass was incredibly loud in the silence of the bar, which was void of it’s usual white noise.<br/>

“I think you underestimate him,” Bruce tapped his fingers on the bar. “He has already proven to be a worthy opponent, and he’s already given you two the run around.”<br/>

It was true, because of the spiritual protections used along the hallway they were staying on, the demons could not follow them into that space. They had to wait for Jake to come to them. </p><p>  As they sat conversing and waiting for the next move, the elevator door opened with a sharp ding. Jake stepped off the elevator dressed in his best suit, but nothing in his hands. His hand caressed the dice in his pocket to reassure himself. The red set was loaded, the white set was not.<br/>

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Jake spoke with a baritone that rang across the bar, and showed no sign of fear. “Nice weather we’re having, eh?”<br/>
Thunder crashed above them and a bolt of lightning lit up the gaming room through the higher windows so that Jake could see the damage. His felt sick, this would 
cost a fortune to fix if it even could be.<br/>

“I guess you could say that,” Bruce replied. “What is it you want? Where is the case?”<br/>

“I left it in my office until I talked to you fine gentlemen.” He began, watching as the three demons moved closer, their eyes growing bright with excitement.<br/>

“Very well, bring the case and we will be done with this. No harm comes to your friends,” Richard said.<br/>

Jake knew that was a lie. He was quite certain Alan and Nadia would not make it out of here alive if he wavered. He cleared his throat, the voice pouring forth was smooth and confident. Jake felt no fear at all, even staring into the dark black abyss eyes of three demons. “We’re in Vegas. In a casino. Come on, boys, what fun would it be if we didn’t gamble a little? So, here’s my proposal. How about we roll some dice for it? If you win, I go with you.”<br/>

“What about the contracts?” Bruce raised an eyebrow. Surely this human wasn’t that simple. Did he really think to gamble with those who could manipulate so well?<br/>

“If I win, I get them.” Jake met Bruce’s eyes, or rather the dark voids.<br/>

Bruce was taken aback by the lack of fear in this man. There was something different about him. “We already own you-”<br/>

“Deal or no deal?” Jake demanded. “I can just as easily have my friends set the papers on fire. Then you lose it all.”<br/>

“You wouldn’t dare do that. You think that will free the souls in Hell?” Bruce laughed. “Not a chance. It will free them but they will quickly be consumed by and turned into demons unless they are immediately purified. That would require you having a priest at the gate of Hell when it opened.”<br/>

Glenn and Richard laughed, both of them had been trapped into this life in just that way. They scarcely recalled their humanity anymore, what it was like to be mortal, to feel anything.<br/>

“I know all that,” Jake rolled his eyes. “I still want to play a game.”<br/>

Bruce and Griffin exchanged glances of confusion and Richard spoke for them all, “What sort of game?”<br/>

“Well, how about a game of craps, winner take all?” He smiled lightly at the demons, his eyes sparkling. “Unless, of course, you are concerned about losing to a human.”<br/>

“There’s no way a mere human can beat us.” Griffin chuckled and shook a mixer filled with ice and a mixed drink concoction.<br/>

“Craps you say? I am a craps man,” Richard said, turning towards the tables. “Let’s go.”<br/>

“Not with you,” Jake said with a half smirk. “I want your boss.”<br/>

“My-” Richard looked around in alarm. He couldn’t be serious, could he? He wanted to challenge the devil himself at a dice game? “Are you mad?”<br/>

“I said what I said. That’s what I want.” Jake’s eyes scanned the three demons as they stood looking at him as if he were crazy. He could feel their confusion, and he found it amusing.<br/>

Bruce laughed. “Okay, very well. I will see if he will indulge you this ridiculousness.”<br/>

Richard, Griffin, and Jake watched as Bruce closed his eyes and seemed to telepathically contact the one in charge. He opened his eyes with a smirk, “He won’t come. He cannot leave that realm. But his son can.”<br/>

Jake gave a half nod, “I suppose that will do.”<br/>

A bolt of lightning lit the casino bar up again and to Jake’s surprise the light overhead popped on with a sizzle, illuminating a dark figure that seemed to appear. The figure wore a dark robe with a hood that fell behind him, his hair and eyes were just as dark. Jake was surprised at how messy the newcomers hair was, he had expected the son of the devil to be a bit more svelte, not a punk rock reject.<br/>

“You have summoned me for a game?” He said with a slight growl that sounded like a moody teenager being awakened for school.<br/>

“I did.” Jake replied. “Dice. I assume you know how to play?”<br/>

Meanwhile Nadia and Alan arrived at the church where Father Cresson was. Alan's car had provided them shelter but the dash from car to church left them soaked. Alan gasped, the rain so heavy it was hitting his face like a shower and stinging his eyes. He could barely get a breath without inhaling water. Nadia sputtered and spat the water out as it soaked her face and hair.<br/>

Inside the church, Alan looked around in the silence. “Father?”<br/>

Startled from his prayers, Father Cresson looked up from praying and glanced around his office. He heard it again and this time he hurried to his feet and out into the front room.<br/>

“Hello?” He called to the soaked visitors. “Can I help you?”<br/>

“Jake sent us to get you.” Nadia panted out the words. “He’s making deals with the devil and-”<br/>

“Say no more,” the mans elderly face creased with his smile. Pride filled him, Jake was doing what he was meant to do. He retrieved a small bag from his altar and quickly followed them out into the rain.<br/>

It was a little after sundown, but the storm clouds were so dark that it appeared to be later in the night. The air was chilled from rain and wind, causing the heated pavement and asphalt to release  steam as it cooled down quickly. The thick clouds and fog drifted down the boulevard in waves, concealing cars parked along the street and the buildings as it rose.<br/>

Alan’s car wouldn’t start. Rather it was dead battery, no gas, or if too much water had gotten inside somehow, Alan was unable to tell. He angrily slammed his fist into the wheel.<br/>

“We will walk then,” Father Cresson got out of the car. “’Tis only the devil trying to keep us from our job.”<br/>

“I don’t know about that,” Alan murmured as he climbed out of the car into the downpour. Just then a bolt of lightning jumped between clouds and then slammed into something down at the end of the boulevard, knocking out every light on the strip.<br/>

In the pitch darkness, rain rushing up to their ankles as the streets began to flood, they rushed down the sidewalk towards the casino. Lightning popped overhead, showing them the way and that there was not another living soul out on the strip at the moment. Everyone had taken cover, even a blacked out casino was preferable to being in the weather.<br/>

Nadia kicked her waterlogged sneakers off on the sidewalk. They were stretching out with the water and her feet kept slipping out of them anyway. It helped, and she was able to keep up with Alan and the priest. From the glass doors of the casinos, people crowded to watch the intense weather. Alan took them along the parking lot side of the casino and lightly opened the back door.<br/>

From inside they could hear voices, so they slipped in silently and Alan made sure the door closed with no noise. The warmth of the casino was welcomed for the time being as the rain chill trio moved along the wall under the emergency lights towards the bar and grille. There, Jake faced off against a dark being on the opposite side of a craps table. It appeared they were negotiating.</p><p>  Finneas listened to Jake’s proposal curiously. He wondered how it was the other three didn’t see the faint glow around this human. Jake was not the run-of-the-mill human they could deceive and collect. This wasn’t going to be easy.<br/>

He raised a dark brow, “So you want to gamble for the contracts and if you win you get those souls? Am I right? You are aware you cannot revive the dead? You are no necromancer.”<br/>

Jake felt the energy around him tighten and pulse. He recognized immediately that Finneas was trying to manipulate him. Hoping to cause fear to pour into him to such a degree it would drive him to madness and make him lose focus on the task at hand. The warmth light within Jake spun again and pushed the darkness away, causing Finneas to narrow his eyes.<br/>

“That is what I want.”<br/>

“If you loose, I am taking you and your two friends back with me. Those are the terms here.” Finneas watched the others eyes, realizing what he was seeing around the other “I have never seen a light worker in the flesh.”<br/>

“What is that light around Jake?” Alan hissed to Father Cresson, the three of them were crouched behind the slot machines just outside the bar area.<br/>

“Your friend is a light worker,” Father Cresson whispered back. “I was able to awaken that in him and here it is.”<br/>

“Is that safe?” Nadia asked from the other side.<br/>

The priest nodded.<br/>

“Damn it,” Alan whispered. “I forgot the briefcase.   I’ll go get it.”<br/>

Nadia and the Father stayed by the machines as Alan ran hunched over and he thought unseen to the back stairwell to get up to the office. The other demons had sensed the audience they had but they made no move to let them know they had been discovered.<br/>

Finneas nodded. Just because he couldn’t manipulate the man very well didn’t mean the dice wouldn’t be easy to control. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the table, “Very well. We need dice.”<br/>

Jake tossed the dice on the table, holding his red pair back. “There you go.”<br/>

Griffin went first, he shook the tiny white dice in his hand a few times as Jake, Richard and Finneas placed their chips on the pass line. All eyes on Griffin, he needed to roll nine. If he rolled seven, he lost, and it was Richard’s turn. Sure enough the dice landed on seven and Griffin was out of the game, which didn’t upset him at all. He preferred to drink and watch. He passed the pair to Richard.<br/>

Leaving chips on the pass line, Richard shook the dice and tossed them against the opposite table wall. They rolled nearly halfway back to him before landed on a nine. Griffin, who had assumed role of the pit boss, moved the dealers puck to the number nine.<br/>

“Nine is the point, guys,” Griffin took another drink of the martini still in the shaker.<br/>

Jake set down two chips behind his pass line chip. “I want to double down on the next roll. If I lose you let my friends go, they have nothing to do with this.”<br/>
Richard smirked and shrugged, there was nothing for him to worry about as he was manipulating the dice easily. “Sure, I’ll take that a bet.”<br/>

Jake’s fist closed tightly, pressing the dice into his palm. The small red squares bounced back to him and landed squarely on seven. Jake let out a breath of relief disguised as a chuckle. “You lose.”<br/>

“There is no way!” Richard stared at the dice in Jake’s hand. He had manipulated the red dice, or so he thought.<br/>

Finneas seized the dice, “There is no way that’s possible-”<br/>

Griffin and Richard watched Finneas toss the dice out onto the table. They rolled seven. They rolled seven a few times more before he looked up at Jake. “Do you think this is a joke?”<br/>

Jake’s heart nearly stopped. Something closed around his throat, but his light was able to push it away. For the first time Richard noticed his glow, he had never noticed it before. Jake was able to  push his energy away only meant one thing. That the blood seal was somehow broken and the light worker abilities in him were awakened. It was the abilities that made Jake such a valuable catch. If that light were corrupted he would be invaluable in the underworld.<br/>

Richard growled. “You knew already didn’t you, Finneas? That he was a light worker, and the seal on him has been broken! That I could do very little to him without the seal!”<br/>

Bruce turned on Finneas as well, eyes flashing red. “You planned this out all along. Didn’t you? So you could get the credit for his capture, move up the ladder and impress daddy. Am I right?”<br/>

While the demons turned on each other, Jake grabbed his phone, texting as fast as he could to Alan: Burn the case</p><p> </p><p>  Alan glared at the phone. This was a bad time for auto correct to attempt to help. Alan tossed the phone across the room and jerked out the drawers in Jake’s desk roughly, spilling the contents everywhere. His panic was fueled by the text, if Jake was telling him to do this it was probably a sign things were going wrong. Or very right.<br/>

Alan found the matches an extended lighter for lighting grills in the jumbled collection of random items Jake kept in the drawers. His fingers shook so much that it was difficult for him to open the briefcase, let alone strike one of the matches. Finally one caught, the flame leaping up and then settling back down. He ignited one corner of the thin paper, annoyed when it caught but then only smoldered.<br/>

“Dammit.” Alan used his teeth to pop the stopper out of the lighter. Spitting the taste of the fluid out of his mouth, he emptied the lighter onto the paper. He scowled as he did, “I hope this ain’t some weird demon paper that won’t burn.”<br/>

The flames caught this time, dancing across the paper so fast that Alan almost didn’t move his fingers in time to avoid being burned. The papers were consumed with a soft crackle, spilling smoke upwards in a thick cloud. Alan heard a whirring noise, and before he realized what was happening, the sprinklers reacted to the smoke and heat, and they began raining down on him. With a curse, Alan dove across the room for the umbrella he kept under his own desk for when he patrolled outside the building in the rain. He opened it over the fast drowning flame.</p><p> </p><p> “What the--” Jake looked up, a smile curling his lips. The sprinklers meant fire and fire meant the papers were burning.<br/>


The three demons had started to brawl as Jake and Finneas watched, smashing slot machines and breaking furniture. The remaining hell hound attacked Bruce, but he flung it away with a bolt of energy that caused it to crash into and explode against the wall behind them. A bright green splatter stained the wallpaper, oozing down to the carpet.<br/>

The falling water interrupted the fight. Bruce looked up, angrily wiping the water from his face. “What the hell is going on?”<br/>

“There must be a fire,” Hollingsworth looked around for the source of flames. Seeing nothing he whirled on Jake- there was that energy, stronger and brighter swirling around the human. His eyes flew wide open, but the light was too bright. He covered his face with his arm, hissing. “What have you done?”<br/>

A bright light made the casino bright as day. The pulsing oval grew larger, and Father Cresson made the sign of the cross over himself as he stepped forward. Already shadowy forms were moving out into the casino among the gambling machines and tables.<br/>

“No, that can’t be--” Richard began to panic, looking around as if there was some sort of help nearby. “Surely not!”<br/>

“While you idiots were busy fighting over some loaded dice, the humans set the papers on fire. It’s too late now, the blood seals are gone. The souls are free.” Finneas explained, his face the picture of amusement. His dark eyes seemed to laugh as well.<br/>

“Why didn’t you stop them?” Griffin rushed forward as if to grab Finneas, he bounced off as if he had hit a glass pane.<br/>

“You’re the son of the Master himself!” Bruce yelled over the hiss of water falling. “Why would you allow this to happen?”<br/>

“Because it amused me.” Finneas shrugged. The water seemed to be missing him while it drenched everyone else. “My father is not concerned with decades old pacts. Have you not seen the news lately or paid attention? He has moved on to bigger things. These souls are hardly a loss, he really wanted the light worker but that was only possible if he were bound by blood, which he isn't.”<br/>

Thunder crashed outside, lightning and rain whipped the building. Finneas raised his hand, and a second oval of light opened in the floor just large enough to engulf the other three. They screamed, hurling curses as they fell into the eternal pits below. Then the light closed and left no trace it had ever been there.<br/>

Jake walked over to the place it had been and poked the floor with his toe. “Thank God, I wasn’t sure how I would explain that to my insurance.”<br/>

Finneas clapped him on the shoulders. “Well played. Well played. If you ever want a job, just call. We could use someone like you on our side.”<br/>
Jake smiled weakly, “I’ll keep that in mind.”<br/>

Jake watched him as he left, his long black coat swinging at his heels. The sound of his boots on the hard floor of the foyer suddenly stopped as if he had just stopped walking. A sudden wash of energy, maybe second wind, propelled him to the control box where he flipped off the sprinklers. He threw the main switch and the lights and cooler came back on with a bang and some grinding. The sound of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” began playing through the speakers.<br/>

Jake leaned against the wet wall. He was so drained he didn’t think he would even make it to the elevator, but he needed to see Nadia and Alan, and assure himself they were safe.<br/>

A loud bang from the stairwell behind him startled Jake. To his relief, it was Alan running towards him. Jake grabbed him in a hug. Both relieved the other was alive. “Oh Thank God! Where is Nadia?”<br/>

Alan broke the hug and nodded across to the bar where Nadia stood with Dan. He held her hands and looked down at her with a soft loving smile that she was returning.<br/>

“I am sorry I put you through all this,” Dan told her softly. “I was never a great husband, you deserved better.”<br/>

“I never wanted you to die, I – I was going to try and avenge you,” she said through sobs and hysterical laughter. “I-”<br/>

He traced her face with his fingertips. “I can’t come back to you and we both know if I did we wouldn’t work out any better than we did before. Besides you’ve found happiness, haven’t you?”<br/>

She blushed for the first time in years. It amused Dan. Nadia nodded, “I didn’t mean to. I just, it just happened. I swear I didn’t know he was your friend. You aren’t upset?”<br/>

Dan laughed lightly and looked over her head where Jake and Alan were approaching. “Who do you think guided you?”<br/>

Nadia gasped, but before she could form words Jake spoke behind her. “Dan?”<br/>

“In the flesh- kind of. Thank you. I owe you everything. I didn’t know you were a light being.” Dan reached past Nadia to shake Jake’s hand, pulling his long-time friend against him as well for an embrace.<br/>

“I didn’t either,” Jake smirked. “I went to see Father Cresson and it sort of woke it up I suppose. Dan, I miss you here.”<br/>

“I miss you too, old friend. I can’t stay. But I leave you to look after my girl. Maybe you two will bring each other the happiness neither of you have found before,” 
Dan said, his eyes focusing on Father Cresson as one by one he blessed shadowy figures and they flew upwards through the ceiling.<br/>

The light closed and Father Cresson turned to Dan and the others. “It’s time. I can only put it off so long, my boy.”<br/>

“I understand.” Dan stepped forward, then looked back at Jake and Nadia, who had come together for warmth since Nadia was still soaked from the rain and he was soaked from the sprinklers. Dan smiled brightly at them. “You two take care of each other or I’ll come back to haunt you both! I’m talking straight up poltergeist type stuff.”<br/>

“I look forward to it!” Jake laughed almost sadly as Dan accepted the blessing and then in a flash flew upwards into the rafters and out into the unknown.<br/>

Finally Nadia allowed herself to break down. Jake held her against him, shaking, sobbing, and laughing all at once. He couldn’t blame her, this had been a tough week for them all.<br/>

“It’s over. It’s done.” He whispered, stroking her hair.<br/>

She looked up through wide teary eyes, “I know. I am just so relieved that we made it and he is safe. We have his blessing too. I was so worried he would be offended that we were together.”<br/>

“Are we together then?” Jake smiled tiredly. A white feather drifted between them, landing on Nadia’s chest. Jake sighed in relief, he could feel a warmth around them. “There’s the sign that he has moved on.”<br/>

“We can be— if you still want to?” She wiped her eyes and sniffled. Nadia held the feather  gently before placing it in her pocket, she’d keep it always.<br/>

“Oh, hell yeah,” Jake gave a short laugh before hugging her again. He pulled away from her to move closer to Alan. Without shame the two embraced again. “You staying on and helping me clean this mess up?”<br/>

“You bet I am. You’re practically my brother.” Alan fought the tears that burned his eyes, but some escaped anyway. It was the first time he had cried since his childhood.<br/>

“Well good! I’ll need help to get this dead hell hound off my walls and try and get this place back up and running.” Jake pointed to the bright green splatters.<br/>

Father Cresson came forward, also looking tired. He made the sign of the cross over the three of them. “This was an honor to witness. I will come back for the blessing when you have it up and running again, Jake. You are welcome to visit me anytime- all of you.”<br/>

Jake gave the elder man a nod, then let go of Nadia to shake his hand. “I cannot thank you enough, Father. I am forever in your debt.”<br/>

“Mine as well. Thank you for those last few moments with Dan-” Nadia sounded like she might break down again.<br/>

Father Cresson smiled warmly, “I am glad I could give you that closing. You all have my blessings.”<br/>

“I live in the penthouse on tenth floor and I’m sure we have some dry clothes you can borrow,” Jake said. “Why don’t you stay on with us until the storm passes? The power is restored and I’m positive we could find a pizza place that will deliver.”<br/>

Alan stepped forward a little hesitantly. “Father, perhaps I could speak to you privately-”<br/>

“A priest in a casino! Well I suppose it won’t hurt this once,” he said with a wink. Turning to Alan he offered a warm smile. “Of course, I am available any time.”<br/>
“Jake?” Nadia asked as they got into the elevator. “Does this mean you’ll do music again? I saw your drum set in the basement, you must have kept it for some reason.”<br/>

Jake rubbed his chin, he really did miss it. “ You know, I just might, my dear.”</p>
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